Aerodynamic effects of the push posture of the following skaters in the speed skating pursuit event

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to clarify the aerodynamic effects of the posture of the following skater extending his right arm to push the leading skater in the speed skating team pursuit event. Wind tunnel experiments were conducted using two full-scale human models. The leading skater was set in the posture with Arms behind back. The following skater was set in two different postures (Arms behind back and Push with right arm). The skaters were placed in tandem at two different distances (0.8 and 1.0 m). For the leading skater, the angle of attack α was always set to 0°. For the following skater, α was set to three different values (0, 20, 40°). The results showed that at U > 14 m/s, the aerodynamic drag of the lead skater decreased as the following skater extended its right arm. At U ≦ 14 m/s, the effect of the following skater's extended right arm on the aerodynamic drag of the lead skater may be related to the distance between the skaters. The effect of the extended right arm on the following skater's drag at U ≦ 14 m/s was suggested to be related to the angle of attack of the following skater. Under conditions where the following skater's aerodynamic drag is less than that of the single skater, it was suggested that the pushing posture of the following skater reduces the aerodynamic drag of the leading skater.