Next-Generation Hybrid Whips

Team: Joshua Merrell, Duncan Rowburry, Wyatt Schaffer and Janie Sorenson

Problem Description

The Performance Whipcracking Club is meant to be beginner friendly, but current whip designs are difficult to acclimate to and learn. The goal of this project is to optimize a whip design to simplify the learning process by creating a simulation to test taper profiles and testing different lengths/weights/styles with beginners. The final whip design will be selected, built, and tested to determine ease of cracking.

Whipmaker Quotes

"When using intentional torque, like you might for a volley, its quite easy and quite reliable."
– Taylor Whips

"Good feeling whip. That's a solid, solid whip. I like the handling, the weight, she feels good."
– Isaac Eliason

"I can feel the loop roll out on both of them."
– April Choi

Requirements and Constraints

Requirement/Constraint /Goal	Target	Threshold	Actual Performance
Minimum Speed of cracker at crack	N/A	767 MPH	>767 MPH
Speed of the handle after crack	0 in/s	N/A	16 in/s
Maximum initial force required	40 lbf	N/A	33.84 lbf
Maximum Weight	N/A	1 lb	0.447 lb
Length of Whip	N/A	4.5'- 6.5'	6'

Prototype Whip

Based on the findings from the simulation, building a whip that is easy to crack, easy to wield, does not kick out of your hand, does not lacerate or bruise when used improperly, and teaches the user good form.

Create a 2D Simulation

The simulation uses a set of governing equations to simulate a whip crack using a spring-mass system and output the velocity and time at the end of the thong before the crack. We use this to test different tapers and lengths to find the combination that transfers energy from one mass node to the next with minimal loss between nodes and most efficiently dissipates the energy at the crack.

Taper Calculator.

We turned the simulation into a calculator that instructs the user when to cut and drop strands when making a whip. The user inputs various construction constraints based on their preferences, and the calculator outputs step by step instructions on how to make the taper profile of their whip.

Design Description

System Overview

The overall system is a performance hybrid style whip as shown in the image below. A performance hybrid whip consists of a handle, thong, fall, and cracker.

Thong (Braided Portion)

The thong of the whip is where we focused most of our efforts. The thong is braided with nylon 550 paracord to be 6 feet in length. 6 feet was chosen as the length because it's a good middle ground between being too heavy/unwieldy, and being too fast and light.

Handle

The handle of the whip is a performance hybrid style. The handle is composed of a ½" CPVC pipe cut to 17', a ½" CPVC cap, and a ½" CPVC coupling with a hole drilled in one side. This allows the thong to set into the coupling, feed through the drilled hole, and hitch onto the handle to secure the thong in place. CPVC is chosen as the handle material because it slightly bends to smooth out energy transfer to the thong.

Fall

The fall is comprised of a single strand of nylon 550 paracord fed into itself for half its length, tied to the end of the thong. The purpose of the fall is to continue energy transfer and acceleration towards the crack, and dampen the energy wave after the crack.

Cracker

The cracker is a small piece of baling twine doubled over then twisted together for a finished length of 6”. One end is tied to the end of the fall, and the other end is unraveled. Baling twine is the best option because it's durable, stiff, and very cheap. The cracker must be replaced often, so cheaper is better.

Performance Hybrid Whip

Performance Review

Major Analysis / Tests

The prototypes were evaluated using high-speed video analysis and beginner field testing. Each prototype whip was recorded cracking in front of a checkered pattern, which provided a scale reference for measuring cracker motion.

Cracker velocity was estimated by measuring the distance the cracker traveled between video frames and multiplying by the camera frame rate. From this analysis, the handle velocity after the crack was 16 in/s, and the required initial force was 33.84 lbf.

In our field testing with beginners, they almost unanimously (87%) preferred the whip with the impedance-gradient ratio taper.

Final Prototype/Deliverables

The final prototype was built using an impedance gradient taper. Based on the findings from the simulation, this whip is easy to crack, easy to wield, does not kick out of your hand, and teaches the user good form. In addition to the prototype, a final taper calculator and 2D simulation will be provided to the public to braid their own whips.

Conclusion

This project produced a prototype whip that meets key constraints, including weight, length, and user-applied force. A simulation and taper calculator were developed to model behavior and guide design. Future work will focus on making different lengths and styles of whips using the taper calculator and testing different combinations of handle styles, material, number of strands, and lengths.