On-site aerodynamics investigation of speed skating

Abstract

An aerodynamic assessment is presented of two elite skaters, each in two different skating postures, at the ice-rink Thialf in Heerenveen, the Netherlands, via on-site Ring of Fire (RoF) measurements. This experimental approach adopts stereoscopic Particle Image Velocimetry (Stereo-PIV) to measure the flow upstream and downstream of the skaters. Both skaters transit through the RoF 20 times, 10 in each skating configurations. Athlete A skates with two hands on the back and with one arm on the back and one loose. Athlete B skates with one arm loose in a normal deep sit and in an extreme deep sit. All tests are performed at a nominal skating speed of 11 m/s. Firstly, the wake velocity fields of skater A with two hands on the back are presented throughout five different phases of the skate stroke. Significant variations in the distribution of the velocity deficit downstream of the athlete are observed, which suggest corresponding variations in the skater's aerodynamic drag. These velocity fields are also compared to literature and the similarities and differences are discussed between the flow around a static skater and that in the natural skating motion. Secondly, average streamwise velocity and vorticity fields for all 4 different postures are presented and compared. It is observed that for all cases the maximum velocity deficit in the wake is in the range of 0.45 ≤ u_x^* ≤ 0.55 and is located behind the lower back and upper legs. Furthermore, a characteristic vortex pair is observed downstream of the skater's hips for all four skating configurations, indicating it is independent of the athlete, the posture, and skating phase. The ensemble average aerodynamic drag is evaluated via a control volume approach along the wake behind the skater, accounting for the non-uniform flow conditions prior to the skater's passage. The uncertainty of the average drag measurements from the present RoF is about 5%. The results show that the optimization of the deep sit, e.g. the trunk and knee angle, yields a reduction by 7.5% of the skater's aerodynamic drag. Conversely, the difference in drag between two arms loose and one arm loose is not statistically significant.