A theoretical investigation into the handling characteristics of snowboards at low lateral acceleration

Abstract

In this work, a model of a rider and snowboard is presented. The snowboard is modelled as two rigid one-dimensional sections connected by a frictionless pin-joint linked by a torsional stiffness and the rider by a mass at a fixed height above the snowboard, which can move longitudinally. The model is simplified to allow the fundamental behaviour of the snowboard and rider to be investigated for a number of manoeuvres used by learners. The behaviour of the rider is shown to be related to the angle of lean and it is conjectured that the rider might attempt to achieve consistency of response by moving their centre of mass longitudinally. The response of the model in open-loop is difficult to control, and to overcome this, two control loops are designed for the lateral velocity and yaw angle of the snowboard. The model is shown to recreate a number of manoeuvres that are used to help people to learn to ride snowboards.