[en] Aerodynamics research in cycling has underpinned innovative bicycle design, new refined riding positions and optimised rider apparel. There has been a rise in the level of aerodynamics research focused on cycling since the turn of the millennium, enabled by significant increases in computational power and the availability of software/hardware. However, cycling research has not yet fully embraced para-cycling, with limited studies conducted on the aerodynamic performance of hand-cyclists and other para-cyclists. Wind tunnel experiments and computational fluid dynamics simulations were conducted in this research for the analysis of hand-cycling aerodynamics, focused on competitive H1–H4 category hand-cyclists. A quarter-scale representative geometry of a hand-cyclist was used in high-speed wind tunnel experiments. The accuracy of the simulations performed with the three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations was found to be dependent on the turbulence model choice and near-wall grid resolution. Computational fluid dynamics simulations predicted the magnitude of the drag and lateral forces to an accuracy of 2.5% using the shear stress transport (Formula presented.) turbulence model. This study also presents the impact of wheel diameter and disc wheels on hand-cycling aerodynamics via computational fluid dynamics simulations, providing a deeper understanding of the aerodynamic characteristics unique to the hand-cycling discipline in the sport of competitive cycling. Drag reductions of up to 8.9% were found when utilising 20-inch diameter spoked wheels, opposed to the 26-inch wheels. Variations in wheel diameter between the front and rear wheels were found to have a significant impact on the CDA in part through altering the pitch angle of the hand-cycle.
Disciplines :
Aerospace & aeronautics engineering
Author, co-author :
Mannion, Paul ; Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering and Informatics, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland ; Department of the Built Environment, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, Netherlands ; Informatics Research Unit for Sustainable Engineering (IRUSE), Galway, Ireland
Toparlar, Yasin; Department of the Built Environment, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, Netherlands
Blocken, Bert; Department of the Built Environment, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, Netherlands ; Department of Civil Engineering, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Hajdukiewicz, Magdalena; Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering and Informatics, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland ; Informatics Research Unit for Sustainable Engineering (IRUSE), Galway, Ireland
Andrianne, Thomas ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département d'aérospatiale et mécanique
Clifford, Eoghan; Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering and Informatics, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland ; Informatics Research Unit for Sustainable Engineering (IRUSE), Galway, Ireland
Language :
English
Title :
Computational fluid dynamics analysis of hand-cycle aerodynamics with static wheels: Sensitivity analyses and impact of wheel selection
Publication date :
December 2021
Journal title :
Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Part P: Journal of Sports, Engineering and Technology
NWO - Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
Funding text :
The authors acknowledge the support of the College of Engineering and Informatics at the National University of Ireland, Galway. The authors acknowledge the collaboration with Paralympics Ireland, Cycling Ireland and Sport Ireland Institute, along with the technical support team of the Department of the Built Environment at Eindhoven University of Technology: Jan Diepens, Geert-Jan Maas and Stan van Asten. The authors also wish to acknowledge the SFI/HEA Irish Centre for High-End Computing (ICHEC) for the provision of computational facilities and support and also gratefully acknowledge the partnership with ANSYS Inc. This project did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors. This work was sponsored by NWO Exacte en Natuurwetenschappen (Physical Sciences) for the use of supercomputer facilities, with financial support from the Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, NWO). The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.
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