An Investigation into the Creep Characteristics of Nylon Strings Used in Badminton Rackets

In order to improve the hitting performance of badminton rackets, the creep characteristics of their nylon string were explored based on the Maxwell and Kelvin models. Special attention was given to the instantaneous elastic deformation coefficient, the delayed elastic deformation coefficient and the retardation time under different conditions. Based on the experimental results, models with high accuracy were developed for nylon, which can describe the changes in the creep rate at different times, relative humidities and stress levels. They all showed that the creep rate increases rapidly with time and then gradually becomes flat. The highest relative humidity led to the lowest instantaneous elastic deformation coefficient and delayed elastic deformation coefficient, but the highest retardation time for nylon. Finally, as the stress level increased, the instantaneous elastic deformation coefficient, delayed elastic deformation coefficient and retardation time all increased. Thus, to improve the hitting performance of badminton rackets, it is necessary to pay attention to the tension and the air humidity in the environment during use.