Wind Tunnel Experiment for the Hydrodynamics of Wind Resistance Energy Consumption of Human Body

Abstract

Aerodynamic resistance, also called the aerodynamic drag, can greatly affect the movements of athletes during high-speed sports. In terms of skiing, the wind environment of the venue creates pushing force or dragging force on the body of skiers during their skiing process in the ski resort. The sliding velocity and the work against resistance are greatly affected by wind, so how to reduce the work against wind resistance is a research focus of sports science. This study conducted wind tunnel experiment on physical skier models. At first, non-contact 3D measurement was carried out to measure the body of a certain skier and several skier models were scanned and printed; then, for the typical movement postures made by the skier in the Yabuli Ski Training Base which is located in the Heilongjiang province of China, wind tunnel experiment was conducted to study the relationship between the air drag coefficient and the wind speed during the skiing process. The results show that the drag coefficient does not change with wind speed during the skiing process. Parameters such as the skier’s height, posture, and frontal area on the windward side have a certain impact on the drag coefficient. The greater the height of the skier, the larger the drag coefficient. The laws summarized in this paper could be used by athletes to adopt rational tactics and optimize their postures during training, thereby improving their competition performance.