Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the air permeability of ski jumping suit fabric on aerodynamic characteristics. In the study, four types of fabric with different air permeabilities were installed onto a fabric-clothed elliptic cylinder, and the flow behavior around its surface was investigated through wind tunnel experiments. The stall was delayed by using the fabric with higher air permeability. The air flow permeated the surface of the elliptic cylinder through the fabric for the fabric with high air permeability. This air flowed out into the separation region through the fabric again, which suppress stall. The stall characteristics for the fabric-clothed elliptic cylinder were influenced by the air permeability of the fabric. The boundary layer thickness on the outer surface and the turbulence levels of the boundary layer affected the air permeability of the fabric. The higher air permeability fabrics improved the stall characteristics.
Highlights
The improvement of aerodynamic characteristics is one of the major themes of recent studies on sportswear
It was found that the drag coefficient decreased with an increase in the air permeability of the fabric
It is deduced that flight distance can be extended by wearing a ski jumping suit made of a fabric with higher air permeability, because the ski jumpers fly in a stall condition after taking off into the air from the Kante [6]
Summary
The improvement of aerodynamic characteristics is one of the major themes of recent studies on sportswear. In sports where speed is important, such as ski jumping, bicycle racing, and speed skating, the aerodynamic characteristics of sportswear greatly affect the outcomes of competitions in those fields. Ski jumping is a competitive event in which various factors, such as flight distance, the posture of arms and legs, ski position during flight, and the succession of movements during landing are scored. Competitors are ranked according to a numerical score obtained by adding up components based on distance and style. The style score is calculated for jumping style, and is based on keeping the skis steady during flight, balance, optimal body position, and landing posture, and is added to the distance score. The aerodynamic characteristics of ski wear greatly affect the outcomes of ski jumping competitions. There are no exceptions for suits, and there are various provisions on factors that
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