Development of a Functional Speed Skating Uniform through Aerodynamic Analysis on Knit Textiles and Uniforms

Abstract

This study was carried out to improve speed skating uniforms through the development of materials to minimize air resistance and proper placement of the developed materials. Gliding of individual human body parts is studied via 3D simulation using Computational Fluid Dynamics. This study also conducted wind tunnel experiments by applying the developed uniform to a human-sized mannequin, based on cylinder wind tunnel experiment results on the empirically designed and developed knit textiles. As a result of the cylinder wind tunnel experiment for drag test on knit textiles, the existing product's drag coefficient was found to be 1.0, and the first-phase and second-phase developed textiles’ drag coefficients were 0.72 and 0.58, respectively. Therefore, air resistance was reduced, and the drag coefficients of the newly developed uniforms were lower than the existing uniform by 2.3~2.53%. From the results of this study, properly designed dimple-applied material reduces pressure drag by forming a turbulent boundary layer, compared to the material using smooth textile. A uniform consisting of the dimple-applied material is expected to improve athletic performance.

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

“…A MATLAB process was employed to increase the contrast of images and 3. Take the natural logarithm for 1 d and lnNðdÞ, respectively, and fit lnð 1 d Þ and lnNðdÞ. If the curve is close to a straight line, it indicates that the sample has fractal characteristics.…”

“…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.…”