Comparing swimsuits in 3D

Abstract

In competitive swimming, suits have become more important. These suits influence friction, pressure and wave drag. Friction drag is related to the surface properties whereas both pressure and wave drag are greatly influenced by body shape. To find a relationship between the body shape and the drag, the anthropometry of several world class female swimmers wearing different suits was accurately defined using a 3D scanner and traditional measuring methods. The 3D scans delivered more detailed information about the body shape. On the same day the swimmers did performance tests in the water with the tested suits. Afterwards the result of the performance tests and the differences found in body shape was analyzed to determine the deformation caused by a swimsuit and its effect on the swimming performance. Although the amount of data is limited because of the few test subjects, there is an indication that the deformation of the body influences the swimming performance.

High-Speed Swimsuits and Their Historical Development in Competitive Swimming

“…Another highly controversial topic was the finding of the reduction in drag and as a result the improvement in performance and results (Benjanuvatra et al, 2002;Krieger, 2004;Mollendorf et al, 2004;Pendergast et al, 2006;Bixler et al, 2007;Marinho et al, 2009;Moria et al, 2010Moria et al, , 2011cFoster et al, 2012;Stefani, 2012;Van Geer et al, 2012). The differences of opinion and conclusions triggered heated debate among scientists, and not only because of ulcers on the fingertips and distal interphalangeal joints, in addition to ecchymosis on the lower limbs (Mountjoy et al, 2009), which were allegedly caused by the use of the swimsuit, but also due to the wide range of studies and analysis conditions that did not lead to a consensus, raising doubts about the possible biomechanical, physiological and psychological improvements (Chatard and Wilson, 2003;Roberts et al, 2003;Smith et al, 2003;Matsunami and Taimura, 2008;Kainuma et al, 2009;Wada et al, 2010;Foster et al, 2012), as well as in competition (Farlex, 2000;Stager et al, 2001;Smith et al, 2007;Berthelot et al, 2010;Neiva et al, 2011;Issurin et al, 2014), with few studies on dynamic drag (Oeffner and Lauder, 2012).…”

“…On the contrary, it is claimed that there is no evidence that full-body swimsuits reduce overall drag or friction, pressure and wave motion resistance (Toussaint et al, 2002;Pendergast et al, 2006;Wada et al, 2010;Van Geer et al, 2012). In any case, the role of friction resistance would be more prominent (Moria et al, 2010(Moria et al, , 2011aFoster et al, 2012), because it is more closely related to the properties of the swimmer's surface or the fabric, unlike the pressure and wave drag which are influenced by the body form.…”

Effect of hydrophobic finishing on drag force of swimwear

“…Especially on swimsuits, superhydrophobic finishing creates more roughness on the surface and low-surface energy on the swimsuits which in effect make swimsuits more efficient (van Geera et al, 2012;Moarref and Jovanovi, 2012;Liu, 2014). Fluoropolymer/SiO 2 nanocomposite coating on polyester fabric by Brendjchi et al produced antibacterial and superhydrophobic cotton fabrics similar to the Cu/SiO 2 nanocomposite fabrics (Somashekara and Lakshmana Swamy, 2012).…”