The Impact of Skinsuit Zigzag Tape Turbulators on Speed Skating Performance

Abstract

At the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympic Games, zigzag tape was introduced on the race suit lower legs and cap of speed skaters. Application of these zigzag devices on live skaters and cylinders in the wind tunnel showed large improvements in the aerodynamic drag. These wind-tunnel results were unfortunately not widely published, and the impact of the zigzag strips in a real skating environment was never established. This paper aims to show the background of the application of the zigzag tape and to establish the impact it may have had on speed-skating performance. From comparisons of 5000 m races just before, during and just after the Nagano Olympics and an analysis of historic world record data of the 1500 m men’s speed skating, the impact of the zigzag tape turbulators on average lap times on 1500 and 5000 m races is calculated to be about 0.5 s.

Investigation of the Mechanical Response of the Foot Structure Considering Push-Off Angles in Speed Skating

“…Studies have shown that for every 1 • decrease in the push-off angle, speed increases by 0.011 m/s [11]. In speed skating at a speed above 60 km/h [12], the difference between first and second place often lies between 0.01 and 0.02 s [13]. As a result, the change in the push-off angle may have a direct impact on an athlete's performance and their further success in competitions.…”

An experimental investigation and flow field analysis on cycling clothing fabrics with grooved surface

“…Hence, the measurements made in a wind tunnel are generally very repeatable. Researchers have previously used a simplified cylindrical geometry to evaluate the aerodynamic properties of textile features such as tightness, 12 surface morphology 13,14 and so on. CFD has been extensively used to study the aerodynamic characteristics of cylinders with different surface.…”