Experimental Drag Optimization for Downhill Ski-Racer for the Paralympics

Golden Eagles Gliding Faster

Background

The impressive performance of the German Paralympics Ski-Team - with 14 medals won during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver - requires team spirit, individual strength and discipline.

These primary virtues are supplemented by access to advanced skiing gears and the possibility of professional performance analysis.

Fig.1: Georg Kreiter investigating his position (courtesy of DLR).

TUHH supports the German Paralympics Downhill-Ski-Team with aerodynamic expertise and wind tunnel studies. The studies are concerned with an assessment of the wind loads on the athletes and their equipment. Emphasis is given to drag force, lift force and pitching moment exposed on the athletes when gliding at speeds up to 130kph.

Fig.2: Martin Braxenthaler during the wind-tunnel campaign

Fig.3: The German coach Maike Hujara (courtesy of DLR)

Fig.4: The research team (courtesy of DLR)

Fig.5: Evolution of the drag-force coefficient for 3 positions of the same athlete.

Figure 5 provides an example for the evolution of the drag-force coefficient obtained for one specific athlete. Position 1 refers to an upright gliding posture, position 2 to a normal ride posture and position to an aggressive ride posture, respectively.

Collaboration

The project is performed in collaboration with the DLR Inst. for Aerodynamics and Flow Technology (Prof. A. Dillmann) and sports scientists from Göttingen Univ. (Prof. A. Niklas) and the coach of the German-Paralympics-Ski-Team (M. Hujara).

Project Duration

2010-2012

Personnel

Dipl.-Ing. Thierry Maquil
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Rung