Advances and assessment of the Ring of Fire concept for on-site cycling aerodynamics
L. de Martino Norante (TU Delft - Aerospace Engineering)
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Abstract
Aerodynamics investigations in speed sports generally consist of measurements of aerodynamic loads through wind tunnel experiments. Lately, a new technique has emerged, known as the Ring of Fire. It is the only drag measurement technique capable of retrieving flow field data on-site, by using Large-Scale PIV. In this Ring-of-Fire project a Low-Speed PIV system is implemented in an indoor facility and used to test an amateur cyclist in both pedalling and non-pedalling conditions. Twenty cyclist’s passages can be executed in thirty minutes and provide a mean drag area with an uncertainty equal to 2%. Drag differences equal to 6% are measured between two postures. Limitations arise due to the lack of repeatability of seeding density and cyclist’s position. With the contribution of this research, the Ring of Fire becomes a more mature technique to investigate speed sports aerodynamics, with future applications to curvilinear trajectories and multiple athletes.