Kwaqala nge-spandex, i-anagram “yokwandisa” ehlakaniphile eyakhiwe usokhemisi waseDuPont uJoseph Shivers.
Ngo-1922, uJohnny Weissmuller wathola udumo ngokudlala iTarzan efilimini. Uqede i-freestyle yamamitha angu-100 ngemizuzwana engu-58.6 esikhathini esingaphansi komzuzu, kwashaqisa umhlaba wezemidlalo. Akekho owayenendaba noma oqaphela ukuthi hlobo luni lwezingubo zokubhukuda ayezigqokile. Kuwukotini olula. Ihluke kakhulu isudi yobuchwepheshe obuphezulu egqokwa nguCaleb Drexel waseMelika owazuza indondo yegolide ngemizuzwana engu-47.02 kuma-Olympics aseTokyo!
Yiqiniso, phakathi neminyaka eyi-100, izindlela zokuqeqesha zishintshile, nakuba u-Weissmuller egcizelela indlela yokuphila. Waba umlandeli oshisekayo wokudla kwemifino kaDkt. John Harvey Kellogg, i-enema nokuzivocavoca umzimba. I-Dressel ayiyona imifino. Uthanda isinkwa senyama futhi uqala usuku lwakhe ngesidlo sasekuseni esine-carb ephezulu. Umehluko wangempela usekuqeqesheni. U-Drexel wenza ukuqeqeshwa komuntu siqu okuku-inthanethi okusebenzisanayo emishinini yokugwedla namabhayisikili amile. Kodwa akungabazeki ukuthi ingubo yakhe yokubhukuda nayo iyawenza umehluko. Yebo akulona inani lamasekhondi angu-10, kodwa lapho ababhukudi abaphezulu banamuhla behlukaniswa yingxenye yesekhondi, indwangu kanye nesitayela se-swimsuit kubaluleke kakhulu.
Noma iyiphi ingxoxo mayelana nobuchwepheshe be-swimsuit kufanele iqale ngesimangaliso se-spandex. I-Spandex iyinto yokwenziwa enganwebeka njengerabha futhi ibuyele ngomlingo ekumeni kwayo kwasekuqaleni. Kodwa ngokungafani nenjoloba, ingakhiqizwa ibe imicu futhi ingalukwa ibe izindwangu. I-Spandex iyi-anagram "yokunweba" ehlakaniphile eyakhiwe usokhemisi waseDuPont uJoseph Schiffer ngaphansi kokuqondisa kukaWilliam Chachi, odume ngokusungula i-cellophane engangeni manzi ngokumboza ungqimba lwe-nitrocellulose. Ukusungula izingubo zemidlalo bekungeyona inhloso yokuqala ka-Shivers. Ngaleso sikhathi, amabhande enziwe ngenjoloba ayeyingxenye evamile yezingubo zabesifazane, kodwa isidingo senjoloba sasishoda. Inselele yayiwukwenza izinto zokwenziwa ezazingase zisetshenziselwe ukubopha okhalo njengenye indlela.
I-DuPont yethule ama-polymers afana nenayiloni ne-polyester emakethe futhi inolwazi olunzulu ekuhlanganiseni ama-macromolecules. Ama-Shivers akhiqiza i-spandex ngokuhlanganisa “ama-block copolymer” anezingxenye ezinwebekayo neziqinile ezishintshanayo. Kukhona namagatsha angasetshenziswa "ukuxhumanisa" ama-molecule ukunikeza amandla. Umphumela wokuhlanganisa i-spandex nekotini, ilineni, inayiloni noma uboya buyinto ebonakalayo futhi ekhululekile ukugqoka. Njengoba izinkampani eziningi ziqala ukukhiqiza le ndwangu, i-DuPont yafaka isicelo sobunikazi benguqulo yayo ye-spandex ngaphansi kwegama elithi “Lycra”.
Ngo-1973, ababhukudi baseMpumalanga Jalimane babegqoka izingubo zokubhukuda ze-spandex okokuqala ngqa, bephula amarekhodi. Lokhu kungase kuhlobane kakhulu nokusebenzisa kwabo ama-steroids, kodwa kwenza i-Speedo ibe negiya lokuncintisana. Yasungulwa ngo-1928, le nkampani ingumkhiqizi wezingubo zokubhukuda ezisekelwe kwisayensi, esikhundleni sikakotini ngosilika ku-swimsuits yayo ye-"Racerback" ukunciphisa ukumelana. Manje, iqhutshwa impumelelo yamaJalimane aseMpumalanga, i-Speedo yashintsha i-spandex nge-Teflon, futhi yakha amagquma amancane amise okwe-V njengesikhumba sikashaka phezulu, okuthiwa kunciphisa ukuxokozela.
Ngo-2000, lokhu kwase kuguqukele ekubeni yisudi egcwele umzimba eyanciphisa ukumelana, njengoba amanzi atholakala enamathela esikhumbeni ngokuqinile kunempahla yokubhukuda. Ngo-2008, amaphaneli e-polyurethane abekwe kahle athatha indawo ye-polytetrafluoroethylene. Le ndwangu manje eseyakhiwe i-Lycra, inayiloni kanye ne-polyurethane yatholakala ibamba amaphakethe omoya amancane enza ababhukudi bantante. Inzuzo lapha ukuthi ukumelana komoya kuncane kunokumelana namanzi. Ezinye izinkampani zizama ukusebenzisa amasudi e-polyurethane ahlanzekile ngoba le nto ibamba umoya kahle kakhulu. Ngayinye yalezi “mpumelelo”, isikhathi siyehla futhi amanani anyuke. Isudi yobuchwepheshe obuphezulu manje ingase ibize ngaphezu kuka-$500.
Igama elithi “izikhuthazi zobuchwepheshe” langena kulwazi lwethu lwamagama. Ngo-2009, i-International Swimming Administration (FINA) yanquma ukulinganisa inkundla futhi yavala zonke izingubo zokubhukuda ezigcwele umzimba kanye nanoma yiziphi izingubo zokubhukuda ezenziwe ngezindwangu ezingalukiwe. Lokhu akuzange kumise umjaho wokuthuthukisa amasudi, nakuba isibalo sezindawo zomzimba abangase bangakwazi ukusivala sesilinganiselwe. Kuma-Olympics ase-Tokyo, i-Speedo yethula enye isudi emisha eyenziwe ngezingqimba ezintathu zezindwangu ezihlukene, ubunikazi bayo kuwulwazi lobunikazi.
I-Spandex ayigcini nje ngezingubo zokubhukuda. Abashwibi, njengabahamba ngamabhayisikili, bampintsha isudi ye-spandex ebushelelezi ukuze behlise ukumelana nomoya. Izingubo zangaphansi zabesifazane zisasebenza ingxenye enkulu yebhizinisi, futhi i-spandex ize iyenze ibe ama-leggings nama-jeans, icindezela umzimba ngendlela efanele ukufihla amaqhubu angamukeleki. Mayelana nokuqanjwa kabusha kokubhukuda, mhlawumbe abaqhudelanayo bazofafaza imizimba yabo enqunu kuphela nge-polymer ethile ukuze baqede noma yikuphi ukumelana ne-swimsuit! Phela ama-Olympians okuqala aqhudelana nqunu.
UJoe Schwarcz ungumqondisi weHhovisi leNyuvesi yaseMcGill Lesayensi Nenhlangano (mcgill.ca/oss). Uphethe i-The Dr. Joe Show ku-CJAD Radio 800 AM njalo ngeSonto kusukela ngo-3 kuya ku-4 ntambama.
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Isikhathi sokuthumela: Oct-22-2021