Enhancing Water Sports Performance

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This proposal is for a pilot project to link EPSRC funded research expertise with applied sports research with a view to UK performance in the 2012 Olympics. In this project, we will investigate experimentally whether UK Sport needs to be concerned at potential performance gains in some sports resulting from the so-called Lotus Effect . In this effect hydrophobicity and topography are combined to create slippy super-water-repellent surfaces. Recent academic work on this type of surface has suggested that the no-slip boundary condition for simple liquids becomes relaxed and causes a finite slip length for water flowing over the surface. There have been claims in the literature of a reduction in flow resistance of around 15% attributed to a slip length of greater than 250 microns. Our project will review the literature for relevance to sport, review and interpret recent towing tank experiments by UK Sport, create a range of super-hydrophobic surfaces and provide specimens for testing by UK Sport.