Testing of the drag reduction mechanism of skinsuit materials for design

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In many speed-based sports, such as cycling, aerodynamic drag plays a limiting role in the achievable speed of the athlete over long endurance races or short high-speed events. KQS Inc. is a contract design and engineering company specializing in high-performance sport equipment and is based in Toronto, Ontario. The goal of this collaborative research project between researchers at York University, the University of Toronto and KQS Inc. is to establish design criteria for skinsuits to leverage possible aerodynamic performance enhancements of elite road-cycling athletes by the reduction of drag force. The technological improvements will further support the Canadian track record in innovative sports equipment, which is significant to the Canadian economy. This project will take an experimental approach to the measurement of drag forces and corresponding flow topologies over a model geometry with textile-based surface roughness and flow trips (using threaded seams) to determine possible interaction for enhanced drag reduction. Direct force measurements in conjunction with measurements of the flow field will using particle image velocimetry will be used to build knowledge on the underlying physical mechanisms occurring. A parametric investigation of roughness topology and seam geometry will be performed to support analysis aimed at better understanding the drag reduction mechanism beyond existing knowledge of simple or regular roughness and trip geometries. This knowledge will in turn be leveraged for optimization of athlete skinsuits in regions where flow separation may be delayed for improving aerodynamic performance.