| Ball durability |
 | | Wear rig |
The Technical Centre is interested in the durability of tennis balls and surfaces. The wear tester contains an air cannon which can fire a tennis ball onto a surface or racket at a range of angles. Balls can be continuously cycled through the system at rates of up to 700 impacts per hour to simulate wear during normal play.
We can measure the effect of wear on ball properties by cycling balls in the wear rig and comparing them to unworn balls. It is important that the changes that occur in the wear rig reflect what actually happens in real play. Therefore, we are presently comparing new and used balls from tennis tournaments around the world. In general, balls bounce higher, get softer and weigh less after they have been used. However, the mass of a ball used on clay often does not change because particles of clay stick to the cloth.
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