Design challenge: 

Innovative Tennis Stringing Pattern?

Concept development & design is our bread & butter, so we challenged ourselves to create an innovative tennis stringing pattern.

What do you think of our new concept: Hypersonic String Patterns?

Received this from a colleague? 🧑🏻👩🏼‍🦲👵🏽👳🏾‍♂️👧🏿

To structure our design process, we first focus on the top 5 characteristics of a tennis racket, and examine, without constraint, what the best outcome would be for that feature:

1. Racket Head Size: Professional players often prefer a smaller racket head size, typically ranging from 95 to 100 square inches. A smaller head size provides better control and precision over shots but requires more skill to generate power.

2. Racket Weight: Racket weight is crucial for control and power. Pros tend to use heavier rackets (around 300 to 350 grams) to generate more power on their shots and absorb ball impact effectively. Heavier rackets also offer stability during fast-paced rallies.

3. Balance: The balance of a tennis racket refers to the distribution of weight along the length of the racket. Professional players may opt for a "head-light" or "even" balance, which allows for greater maneuverability and quick swings, enabling them to make fast reactions at the net or baseline.

4. String Pattern: The string pattern of a racket influences the amount of spin and control a player can achieve. Many professionals prefer a dense string pattern (e.g., 18x20 or 16x19) for better control over the ball and enhanced feel.

5. Racket Material and Construction: Pros often look for rackets made from advanced materials like graphite, carbon fiber, and Kevlar, which provide a balance of power, control, and stability.

Stringing pattern is an interesting one to examine. There have been plenty of ideas, so let’s see if we can create something interesting.

Tennis stringing patterns

The string pattern of a tennis racket refers to the arrangement of the strings on the racket's head. It plays a crucial role in determining how the racket interacts with the ball, affecting factors such as spin, control, power, and feel. Here's a overview of string patterns:

Technical Details:

String patterns are described using two numbers, such as "16x19" or "18x20." These numbers represent the number of main strings (vertical) and cross strings (horizontal) in the racket's head.

• Main Strings: These are the vertical strings that run from the throat to the top of the racket head. Fewer main strings typically result in larger gaps between them, allowing the strings to move more freely. This can lead to greater power but potentially reduced control.

• Cross Strings: These are the horizontal strings that intersect the main strings. Cross strings provide lateral support and contribute to control and spin production. More cross strings can result in a denser string bed, which often translates to increased control and a firmer feel.

Common String Patterns:

• 16x19: This pattern has 16 main strings and 19 cross strings. It's popular among players looking for a good balance of power, spin, and control. The larger gaps between main strings can offer more power, while the denser cross string pattern contributes to spin generation and control.

• 18x20: This pattern features 18 main strings and 20 cross strings. It's known for providing exceptional control and feel due to its tight string bed. However, it may require more effort to generate power and spin compared to other patterns.

• 16x18: A hybrid pattern with 16 main strings and 18 cross strings, offering a compromise between power and control. The larger gaps between main strings can offer some power, while the slightly denser cross string pattern contributes to control and spin.

New string pattern

Ok onto the design.

Rather than be boring, and simply creating a standard tennis string shape, we are going to try to optimize for power, and assume infinite tennis string designs. Let’s look at three concepts (we generated over 20 interesting ideas from theoretical physics):

• Radial Burst: Strings radiate outward from a central point, resembling the spokes of a wheel. This pattern could focus energy toward the center of the string bed, resulting in a powerful and explosive response.

• Explosive Cluster: Strings are grouped closely together in clusters, concentrating energy in small areas for explosive power upon ball contact.

• Hypersonic Lines: Strings are organized in overlapping, hypersonic wave-like lines that vibrate rapidly upon impact, contributing to a forceful ball response.

The last of which we are going to use today:

Hypersonic string lines?

Ernst Chladni, an 18th-century scientist, studied the patterns formed by sprinkling fine sand or other particles on a vibrating plate. These patterns, known as Chladni patterns, reveal the nodal lines of the vibrating plate's modes of vibration. While not exactly like the "hypersonic lines," Chladni patterns demonstrate how vibrations can create distinct geometric shapes.

Our theory, is if we treat the tennis racket head as the vibrating plate, could there be some interesting Chaldni patterns that optimise for dead and sweet-spots?

Who knows, but here are some cool looking tennis racket strings, and it’s a great marketing concept.

What do you think of Hypersonic String lines?

If you would like us to create some new sports equipment concepts then drop us a line: [email protected]

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Thanks for your support!!!! 🙌💕

Dr Bryan & Peter

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