Modelling and simulation of the coefficient of restitution of the sliotar in hurling

Abstract

The coefficient of restitution (COR) is one of the most important standards in all bat-and-ball sports to study the ball suitability and bouncing characteristics. Currently, a demand exists for an improved analytical model for computing the COR, particularly when a new material is introduced. A viscoelastic ball known as a sliotar is taken from the Irish bat-and-ball sport of hurling and used in this paper as a case study. For the theoretical approach, a modified Maxwell's viscoelastic model was used to derive an analytical formula to predict the COR. The developed formula confirms that the damping ratio and the dependency of the COR on the impact speed are the most dominant factors. A 3-dimensional finite element (FE) model was developed to simulate the sliotar impact test to estimate the COR, and to provide a simple tool for further studies on the sliotar. A high-speed camera was used to film the impact event to validate the models' behavior. The close correlation of 9% and 5% between the experimental and the developed analytical and FE models, respectively, indicates that the developed models can successfully identify the COR of the ball in the game of hurling and similar bat-and-ball sports.