This article expert:
Lu Jing is an engineer at Hebei University of Geosciences
Zhang Juquan is an associate professor and master supervisor of Hebei University of Geosciences
The Beijing Winter Olympics are in full swing, and everyone's enthusiasm for ice and snow sports is constantly ignited.
Among them, curling is gradually loved and concerned by everyone because of its fun, and homemade curling imitation shows are frequently produced on the Internet.
Today, we will talk to you about the history of curling and the material of curling.
The origin of curling
The origin of curling is still controversial, with two main views.
The first view is that curling originated on the European continent, and its main evidence is that some famous paintings in Europe have preserved scenes of people playing a game of curling on ice.
Bitbrugger's 1565 oil painting WinterScape
Opponents, however, argue that the paintings depict another sport somewhat similar to curling, a game that can still be found in Austria.
Another view is that curling originated in Scotland. In Scotland, records of curling date back to the early 16th century and are the oldest known written records. In addition, the world's earliest curling object was found in Dubrian, Scotland, the stone, which has obvious polishing marks, a square shape, and a groove on one side that is equivalent to the handle of modern curling, weighing about 26 pounds, which is half of modern curling. Most importantly, the stone is inscribed with the owner's name and the year of 1511.
The world's first curling found
Source: smithartgalleryandmuseum.co.uk
In 1716, Scotland established the world's first curling club, and the Scots were the first curling rules to be the first to set the rules.
Although the origin of curling is disputed, there is no doubt that Scotland has contributed the most to the development of modern curling, and is even the most important source of the stone materials used in curling competitions at the Winter Olympics.
Is curling stone a rock?
The main body of the curling is a gray stone with a handle on it. The gray stone is not a whole either, consisting of a pot body and a pot base, made of two different stones, Common Ailsa and Blue Hone, respectively.
The curling body and the bottom surface are made up of each other
Common Ailsa and Blue Hone are made of two different stones
The curling stones currently used in curling competitions are mainly produced in two places: El Sacreg Island in Scotland and North Wales.
Among them, the curling stone produced on El Sacreg Island is the best quality, accounting for 60%-70% of the total, and the rocks on the island can be seen with huge columnar joints.
El Sacraig Island
It was found that both Common Ailsa and Blue Hone appeared in the area of quartz alkali long syringe. In other words, from a petrological point of view, curling stone is not granite, but a syringe.
Quartz alkali long syringe is a transitional rock species between granite and syringite, which has a lower quartz content than granite, while K, Na and other elements are higher. The main mineral in this type of rock is alkaline feldspar, which has a low or no plagioclase content.
A petrologic classification of curling stones produced on El Sacreg Island
The red area is the area where the mineral composition of the curling stones produced on El Sacreg Island is projected
El Sacraig Island is a volcanic bolt. Judging from the rock structure of curling stone and the geological background of its output, it is a subvolcanocratic rock that is formed closer to the surface. Magma crystallizes rapidly in a cooler environment, forming fine-grained minerals. Among them, the main components of the mineral alkaline feldspar, alkaline pyroxene and alkaline horn amphibolite are long strips, long columns, and different mineral particles are intertwined with each other, so their strength is larger and the impact resistance is strong. The Blue Hone as the base has a finer particle size, a denser structure, a stronger water barrier and a smoother polish.
Quartz alkali syringite is not a rare type of rock, and is produced in many parts of the world, such as the alkaline hybrid rocks of Pozgol on the northern edge of the mainland Tarim.
Why is curling so expensive?
According to public reports, the price of curling used in international competitions is about 12,000 yuan per piece, and the total price of a good set of curling (16 curling) is about 180,000 yuan.
In fact, not all curling is expensive.
Early curling differed significantly from today's curling in terms of material, handle, structure, and fineness of polishing.
Early curling
Curling is also divided into different grades depending on the grading of curling stones. Curling used in the game and curling used in the Olympic games vary significantly in quality and in price.
The main reasons why curling for competitions are as follows:
First, there are fewer sources of curling stones.
Although the original rock of curling stone is quartz alkali long syringe rock is not uncommon. However, curling is a sport with a long history, and the curling stones produced in Scotland are not only of good quality, but also carry the historical and cultural implications of the sport. The use of alternative materials not only faces the quality requirements of the material itself, but also faces the ultimate test of whether it can be accepted by the curling community.
Second, the curling processing process is complex.
The curling used in making a Winter Olympics involves mining, shaping, polishing and other aspects of rough. In addition to the machinery used for rough mining, all other links need to be done manually by pot makers. Under normal circumstances, it takes 5 skilled workers 3 days to complete a set of curling. The experience of the workers in the production process sometimes plays an important role and is the key to producing a high-quality curling machine.
The third is the monopoly of curling production.
There are currently only three racing curling companies in the world. Among them, Scotland Case Company has the exclusive right to mine curling stone on El Sacraig Island, Canadian Curling Stone Company is the only company in the world that can produce curling from Trevor granite in North Wales, and Thompson in the United States uses special curling manufacturing and refurbishment techniques to make curling that meets the requirements of the competition.
Combining the above factors, it is not difficult to understand why curling is so expensive. Thankfully, however, curling is very durable and can be used for a long time when properly maintained.
How to maintain curling?
The main body of curling is a rock, there are many invisible small gaps in the seemingly dense rock, water can enter the rock through these gaps, and curling actually has to be waterproof.
The main waterproof treatment gives curling a waterproof protective wax film. The protective wax film will gradually volatilize, so the curler should be regularly sprayed with waterproof protective wax film.
Curling in curling to constantly rub against the ice surface, and collide with other curling, the body and bottom of the pot will inevitably wear out and appear small pits, at this time can be used resin glue for gluing and polishing. Curling can be refurbished when the curling time is too long, the friction ring on the bottom surface is deflected and a large area of deep pits can be renovated.
Of course, a smooth, high-quality venue without hard impurities is key to avoiding excessive wear and tear on curling. In the competition, athletes use a handkerchief made of soft leather materials to rub the bottom of the curling before each throw to remove the ice and snow residue, which is also the most basic maintenance of curling, and at the same time can relieve the tension of the competition.