The impact of skinsuit zigzag tape turbulators on speed skating performance

Timmer, W.A.; Veldhuis, L.L.M.

doi:10.3390/app11030988

The impact of skinsuit zigzag tape turbulators on speed skating performance

Title

The impact of skinsuit zigzag tape turbulators on speed skating performance

Author

Timmer, W.A. (TU Delft Wind Energy)
Veldhuis, L.L.M. (TU Delft Flight Performance and Propulsion)

Date

2021

Abstract

At the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympic Games, zigzag tape was introduced on the race suit lower legs and cap of speed skaters. Application of these zigzag devices on live skaters and cylinders in the wind tunnel showed large improvements in the aerodynamic drag. These wind-tunnel results were unfortunately not widely published, and the impact of the zigzag strips in a real skating environment was never established. This paper aims to show the background of the application of the zigzag tape and to establish the impact it may have had on speed-skating performance. From comparisons of 5000 m races just before, during and just after the Nagano Olympics and an analysis of historic world record data of the 1500 m men’s speed skating, the impact of the zigzag tape turbulators on average lap times on 1500 and 5000 m races is calculated to be about 0.5 s.

Subject

Aerodynamic drag
Drag reduction
Skating skinsuits
Speed skating
Zigzag tape

To reference this document use:

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:1881652c-94f3-4628-ad6a-0364a350195b

DOI

https://doi.org/10.3390/app11030988

ISSN

2076-3417

Source

Applied Sciences, 11 (3), 1-18

Part of collection

Institutional Repository