`Pole vault composite failure analysis`

Worked example of what a good 10-page paper topic looks like — a student paper on fiberglass layup design that produces graded stiffness along the length. Referenced for the construction principle (rolled from a corner, not as a jelly roll, to put more layers in the middle).

One I really liked: a few years ago I had two students who were pole vaulters in the class, and they did papers on how you design a pole vault pole, which is really interesting. I want sources. I don't want how the automotive company builds cars — that's a little broad. The pole-vaulting pole was perfect. How do you design a fiberglass pole vault pole? It has different stiffnesses along the length. Anybody know how they do it? Instead of rolling up the fiberglass in a jelly roll like this, you roll it from a corner. If you think about it, you've got more layers in the middle than you do on the ends, which is exactly what you want in the stiffness of a pole vault pole. You see these poles bending more than 180 degrees because they're really strong, flexible fiberglass with many layers in the middle. Not particularly magic or rocket science — it's basically just how you lay up something, which was interesting. I'd never thought about it before.