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.