Theory Meets Practice: Mechanical Engineering Students Optimize Boat Outriggers

How can a component be improved when it repeatedly fails in the same spot during daily use? Students and Employees at the Institute of Mechanics at the University of Kassel are exploring this question. The project focuses on the outrigger of a rowing boat, which is intended to become more durable and resilient in the future.

The project began with a specific problem faced by UNISports: The boat outriggers regularly fail at the same point and cannot simply be replaced because the manufacturer no longer produces them, explains Lukas Toby, a research assistant at the Institute for Sport and Sports Science (IfSS). To ensure that the affected rowing boats could continue to be used in the long term—both in UNISport’s course offerings and in the IfSS’s teacher training program—a new technical solution had to be developed.

The decisive impetus came from Simon Nowak, a long-time rowing instructor at UNISports and a mechanical engineering student. He suggested reaching out to Dr.-Ing. Matthias Oxe, who has personal experience in rowing.

Under the direction of Dr.-Ing. Matthias Oxe from the Institute of Mechanics, Department of Technical Mechanics/Continuum Mechanics, in the School of Mechanical Engineering, the project is being implemented as part of a seminar. In doing so, it combines scientific research with the practical demands of sports operations and enables students to apply their theoretical knowledge to a real-world problem.

As part of the lecture on structural durability, students examine different types of material failure. The focus is on so-called fatigue failure, in which components are damaged not by a single high load but by many recurring loads over a long period of time, explains Joshua Wrobel (student assistant at the Institute of Mechanics).

To measure the actual forces during rowing, strain gauges were attached to the critical point of the outrigger. During a test run on the Fulda River, Simon Nowak rowed, accompanied by a motorboat carrying students. The measurement data was transmitted via radio to a smartphone in real time. This made it possible to immediately track the loads acting on the outrigger during rowing.

The measured values are then compared with a computer simulation based on the finite element method. The goal is to validate the simulation and, based on this, develop an optimized component. The new boom is designed to better absorb the forces encountered and thereby achieve a significantly longer service life.

An initial prototype is already in production. Material selection also plays an important role in this process. Since aluminum loses strength during the welding process, the component is subsequently heat-treated to largely restore its original material properties. At the same time, a stainless steel version is being investigated as a possible alternative.

For mechanical engineering student Aschour Youkhanna, the project offers special added value: “You gain a much better understanding of what is covered in lectures and realize just how complex the development of a single component actually is.” His tasks included scanning the existing boat outrigger in the 3D lab, creating a digital model from it, and then reconstructing it in CAD software and comparing it with the scan.

Creative solutions were also needed in the area of measurement technology. The measurement unit originally used proved to be rather user-unfriendly. Laboratory engineer Eugen Prints therefore developed his own solution based on a Raspberry Pi, which reliably captured and processed the signals from the strain gauges and made them available for live transmission.

The project impressively demonstrates how research, teaching, and practical application work together at the University of Kassel. Students gain valuable experience addressing real-world technical challenges, while UNISport and the IfSS benefit from innovative and more durable components.

UNISport and the IfSS at the University of Kassel would like to extend their sincere thanks to all participating students, employees, and project partners for their dedicated efforts. The project serves as an excellent example of how collaboration across different departments can lead to the development of sustainable solutions for specific challenges.