Research for low resistance posture of cyclist based on wind tunnel experiments and computational fluid dynamics

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K11413
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 59020:Sports sciences-related
• Research Institution: Tokyo Institute of Technology (2022); University of Tsukuba (2020-2021)
• Principal Investigator: Hong Sungchan 東京工業大学, リベラルアーツ研究教育院, 研究員 (10638547)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 浅井 武 筑波大学, 体育系(名誉教授), 名誉教授 (00167868)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 自転車 / 空気抵抗 / 空気流れ / スポーツウェア

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, the airflow around cycling athletes and its air resistance were examined using a CFD method and wind tunnel experiment. Specifically, this study is focused on how different surface shapes of fabrics of cycling suits affect the air resistance on cyclists. First, the CFD results indicated that the air resistance during a race is high on the head, arms, and legs of the cyclist. In the wind tunnel experiment, a cylinder model that resembles the shape of the arms was used to compare the aerodynamic forces of various fabrics, and the results showed that the air resistance changes according to the surface shape of the fabric. Moreover, the mannequin experiment revealed that by changing the fabric shape of the arms of the cycling suits, it is possible to reduce the air resistance by up to 8%.

Free Research Field

スポーツ流体力学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

レース中の自転車と選手が受ける抵抗の90%が空気抵抗になり、そのうちの70%は選手の体にかかる抵抗であると報告されている。そのため、空気抵抗を減らす適切な選手の姿勢などについての研究は多く報告されてきた。しかし、選手の全身に着るウェアに関する研究は数少ない。
本研究の結果から、選手が最大に走る最大速度と時間などのレース条件を考慮して、選手ごとに適切なウェアタイプの提供が可能になり、選手パフォーマンス向上に大きく貢献できると考えられる。