Aerodynamics of Cycling Skinsuits Focused on the Surface Shape of the Arms

Abstract

In cycling, air resistance corresponds to 90% of the resistance on the bicycle and cyclist and 70% of this is applied to the body of the cyclist. Despite research on postures that could reduce air resistance, few studies have been conducted on full-body cycling suits. As the aerodynamics of the surface shape of clothing fabric are still unclear, the airflow around cyclists and air resistance were examined using a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method and wind tunnel experiment. Specifically, in this study, we focused on how different surface shapes of cycling suit fabrics affect air resistance. CFD results indicate that air resistance during a race was high at the head, arms and legs of the cyclist. In the wind tunnel experiment, a cylinder model resembling the arms was used to compare the aerodynamic forces of various fabrics and the results showed that air resistance changed according to the fabric surface shape. Moreover, by changing the fabric shape of the arms of the cycling suits, reduction of air resistance by up to 8% is achievable. These results suggest that offering the most appropriate suit type to each cyclist, considering race conditions, can contribute to further improvement in their performance.

A Method for Evaluating the Influence of the Field Wind Environment on Cross-Country Skiing Performance

“…In order to evaluate the influence of the field wind environment on cross-country skiing athletes' performance, the first step is to obtain the wind-induced aerodynamic drag of the athletes in the ski field wind environment. In recent years, many researchers have carried out research work on the acquisition of athletes' wind-induced aerodynamic drag through numerical calculation methods based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and wind tunnel experiments [6][7][8][9]. Chen [10] used steady and unsteady models to simulate 2D athlete models, and the results indicated that wind and posture affect the aerodynamic performance of a skier during the flight stage.…”

An experimental investigation and flow field analysis on cycling clothing fabrics with grooved surface

“…As an indispensable piece of equipment in most sports, the drag-reducing effects of clothing has been proven in many sports. 5,6 Therefore, understanding the aerodynamic characteristic of fabrics is of great help to improve the athletes’ performance.…”

Quantification of fabric morphology and prediction of drag crisis based on the fractal dimension

“…Many sports have proved the drag-reducing effects of clothing as an indispensable piece of equipment. 1–3 As a result, understanding the aerodynamic behavior of sports garments can increase efficiency and achievement. From prior studies, it is clear that despite the complex structure of the human body, human body parts can be represented as multiple cylinders for aerodynamic evaluation in wind tunnel experimentation.…”