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Sommerfeld tracking

Sommerfeld tracking is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Sommerfeld tracking rather than just read about it. In short: Sommerfeld tracking, named after German expatriate engineer, Kurt Joachim Sommerfeld, then living in Cambridge, England, was a lightweight wire mesh type of prefabricated airfield surface. First put into use by the British in 1941, it consisted of wire netting stiffened laterally by steel rods.

Sommerfeld tracking — main illustration
Sommerfeld tracking — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Sommerfeld tracking belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Sommerfeld tracking to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Sommerfeld tracking from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Sommerfeld tracking, named after German expatriate engineer, Kurt Joachim Sommerfeld, then living in Cambridge, England, was a lightweight wire mesh type of prefabricated airfield surface. First put into use by the British in 1941, it consisted of wire netting stiffened laterally by steel rods. This gave it load-carrying capacity while staying flexible enough to be rolled up. Kurt Sommerfeld developed the track in the workshops of D.Mackay engineering based in East Road Cambridge. He worked on the design with Donald Mackay. Nicknamed "tin lino", Sommerfeld tracking consisted of rolls 3.25 m (10 ft 8 in) wide by 23 m (75 ft 6 in) long. Mild steel rods threaded through at 9 inch intervals gave it strength. The rolls could be joined at the edges by threading flat steel bar through loops in the ends of the rods. Sommerfeld tracking was used extensively by the Royal Air Force in the Second World War to make runways at their airfields, as it could be deployed quickly. In addition, some 44,500,000 yards of Sommerfeld tracking was supplied to US forces by Britain in Reverse Lend-Lease. Sommerfeld tracking was used widely on RAF and USAAF Advanced Landing Grounds, both in the UK and elsewhere.

Use The ground was cleared and, if swampy, a layer of coir (also known as coco peat) or coconut matting laid down. The Sommerfeld tracking was unrolled over the ground, pulled tight by a tractor, bulldozer, or similar vehicle, then fastened to the ground with angle-iron pickets. A typical runway made of Sommerfeld tracking was 3,000 feet (910 m) by 156 feet (48 m). It would appear that this method did have some limitations and there are various reports of airfields being out of use during heavy rainfall due to mud, and the fact that the tracking would lift off the ground. There are also anecdotal reports of it causing damage to aircraft, such as wheels being torn off.

See also Marston Mat

Notes

Bibliography "Airfield Roads and Runways", Flight, vol. XLVI, no. 1857, pp. 101–102, 27 July 1944 – via Flightglobal Archive "North African Runways", Flight, vol. XLIII, no. 1789, p. 367, 8 April 1943 – via Flightglobal Archive

External links Photo of Sommerfeld Tracking United States Patent US2338785 showing Sommerfeld's design. 'Magic Carpets' Help to Keep our Forces Moving, The War Illustrated, September 15, 1944.

Illustrations

Sommerfeld tracking: US Army Engineers laying Sommerfield tracking in the sand during a landing exercise at Camp Edwards, Massachusetts, United States, 1942.
US Army Engineers laying Sommerfield tracking in the sand during a landing exercise at Camp Edwards, Massachusetts, United States, 1942.
Sommerfeld tracking: A jeep comes ashore onto Sommerfield tracking during a landing exercise at Camp Edwards, Massachusetts, United States, 1942.
A jeep comes ashore onto Sommerfield tracking during a landing exercise at Camp Edwards, Massachusetts, United States, 1942.
Sommerfeld tracking: Rolls of Sommerfield tracking can be seen in the foreground during a landing exercise at Slapton Sands, Devon, England, April 1944.
Rolls of Sommerfield tracking can be seen in the foreground during a landing exercise at Slapton Sands, Devon, England, April 1944.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Sommerfeld tracking

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Sommerfeld tracking claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Sommerfeld tracking before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Sommerfeld tracking ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Sommerfeld tracking

In research
Sommerfeld tracking appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Sommerfeld tracking in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Sommerfeld tracking is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Airfields, Airport engineering, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Sommerfeld tracking outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study Sommerfeld tracking in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Sommerfeld tracking means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Sommerfeld tracking out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sommerfeld tracking in simple terms?

Sommerfeld tracking, named after German expatriate engineer, Kurt Joachim Sommerfeld, then living in Cambridge, England, was a lightweight wire mesh type of prefabricated airfield surface. First put into use by the British in 1941, it consisted of wire netting stiffened laterally by steel rods.

Why does Sommerfeld tracking matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Sommerfeld tracking?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Sommerfeld tracking.

Tags

  • Airfields
  • Airport engineering

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