Fighter jets to fast sleds: Weber State advanced materials lab could give USA sleds the edge

PARK CITY — Olympic athletes are always chasing fractions of a second. Now, a Utah research team is testing whether the same cutting-edge materials that protect fighter jets at supersonic speeds could help U.S. skeleton and bobsled athletes go faster.

At Weber State University’s Millar Advanced Research and Solutions Lab, engineers design and test high-performance composites built to withstand extreme heat and stress — think supersonic environments.

The lab was recently approached by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee to explore how Utah’s advanced materials capabilities could translate to winter sliding sports.

“We got approached by the U.S. Olympic Committee to just find out what capabilities are in Utah around advanced materials for their competitive needs,” said Benjamin Garcia, PhD., the executive director of MARS Lab.

Inside the MARS Lab, the team is experimenting with carbon fiber configurations to improve sled performance, aiming for durability, responsiveness and precise steering control. The approach involves laser scanning and X-ray imaging to build detailed 3D models of existing sleds, then reverse engineering them to create customized carbon fiber layups via a robotic arm.

“So a lot of what we’re trying to do is different configurations of carbon fiber to see what gives the best performance for the sled,” Tylin Waters, an engineering intern of the MARS Lab, said.

Waters happens to be an amateur skeleton slider, giving the team real-world perspective on how sleds respond to shoulder and knee inputs at speed.

“So it’s all about getting the right flex on the frame to get the steering you want,” Waters said.

Coach Nick Vienneau said the lab’s “miraculous” equipment gives them the ability to engineer performance down to individual fibers, potentially shaving off precious hundredths of a second that separate medalists from the rest.

“They have some almost miraculous equipment up there that lets you engineer, down to the fiber,” Vienneau said.

While this isn’t about hitting the speed of sound, the team said even marginal gains could be game-changing. The lab is currently developing and testing models; not in time for the Milan-Cortina 2026 games, but potentially ahead of the 2034 Olympic Winter Games, when they return to Utah.

How cool would it be to see their materials on the 2034 bobsled? “We would love it. We would definitely see that as a huge PR win,” Garcia said.

They will also investigate whether these materials can also give an edge to equipment in other sports, including hockey sticks and ice skating blades.

And if the materials deliver?

“Can we get higher speeds, faster down times? We all celebrate when that happens,” Vienneau said.