eli5 – Watching Olympic weightlifting. Those bars literally bend and bounce with the weights on either side. How don’t those bars ever become brittle and snap (at huge risk to the athlete)?

Question

I understand the bars are metal, which is strong, but metal can eventually get brittle too. Sure the Olympics probably can afford new bars the whole time, but what about old gyms etc.? I’m just amazed how those bars never break and hurt people. Watching that guy do the world record deadline, that bar was like a boomerang shape at points.

In: Engineering

Answer 1

Apparently, they’re made of a higher quality of steel, which as a side effect, is more bendy. That is also somewhat better for the athletes, as the lower weights keep their center of gravity lower. Most steel bars for weightlifting and other non-fitness applications are going to be made of a much cheaper and less strong steel, and that the heaviest lifts are at the limit of what those bars can take.