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"\"&lt;p&gt;Tech snowboards was recently issued U.S. Patent number 5921564 for its Rib Tech Air Core&lt;P&gt;How did they invent the Air core? Lib Tech Designer and Patent chaser Mike Olson explains&amp;#8230;  &lt;P&gt;Lib Tech is the longest-running snowboard factory in the world. Over the last 23 years the staff has tested virtually every logical core material available. In the 1970s and 80s Lib Tech tested aviation-grade woods in multiple grain directions; urethane, styrene, P.V.C., and acrylic foams; plastic, aramid, and aluminum honeycomb; and a variety of other cores that allowed them to build boards at least one pound lighter than any other brand. &lt;P&gt;Now, at the end of the century, it&amp;#8217;s finally a tougher battle with the competition to make the lightest, strongest snowboard.&lt;P&gt;Some wood species arguably feature the best overall properties for a snowboard core such as dampness, liveliness, and flex memory. But unlike foams or honeycombs there has been a limit to how light it can grow (Balsa at eight pounds per cubic foot).&lt;P&gt;So how did Lib Tech overcame the weight limits of wood? The trick was to encapsulate air inside the wood, thus lowering the core&amp;#8217;s density while actually increasing the strength. It&amp;#8217;s a bit like a linear wood honeycomb with 27 air channels. Each air channel has a thin fillet of epoxy lining the walls. These 54 fillets strengthen the wood from top to bottom while also acting as a moisture barrier.&lt;P&gt;After three years of testing and over 50,000 Air Cores in use, the durability statistics show a 30 percent increase in longevity over solid wood cores. Lib Tech attributes this partly to the air cores ability to compress and deflect much like a tire. The future possibilities are endless for different air channel configurations and densities.  &lt;P&gt;For now, the company has it&amp;#8217;s patent and is moving forward as it usually does.&lt;\\/p&gt;\\n\""^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://snowboarding.transworld.net/photos/lib-tech-gets-core-patent/>