System development and application of a next generation computational fluid dynamics for sports

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26560341
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Sports science
• Research Institution: University of Tsukuba
• Principal Investigator: ASAI Takeshi 筑波大学, 体育系, 教授 (00167868)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 数値流体解析 / CFD / 空力 / スポーツ / 抗力 / スキー

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To date, studies on air resistance in alpine skiing have used wind tunnels and actual skiers to examine the relationship between the gliding posture and magnitude of drag, as well as for the design of skiing equipment. However, these studies have not revealed the flow velocity distribution and vortex structure around the skier. In the present study, we used computational fluid dynamics with the lattice Boltzmann method to derive the relationship between flow velocity in the full tuck position and total drag. Furthermore, we visualized the flow around the downhill racer and examined its vortex structure. The results show that the total drag force in the downhill racer model is 27.0 N at a flow velocity of 15 m/s, increasing to 185.8 N at 40 m/s. Moreover, the visualization of the flow field indicates that the primary drag locations at a flow velocity of 40 m/s are the head, upper arms, lower legs, and thighs (including the buttocks).

Free Research Field

スポーツテクノロジー