The 3D CFD study of gliding swimmer on passive hydrodynamics drag

The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of depth on the hydrodynamic drag coefficient during the passive underwater gliding after the starts and turns. The swimmer hydrodynamics performance was studied by the application of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method. The steady-state CFD simulations were performed by the application of k - omega turbulent model and volume of fluid method to obtain two-phase flow around a three-dimensional swimmer model when gliding near water surface and at different depths from the water surface. The simulations were conducted for four different swimming pool size, each with different depth, i.e., 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 3.0 m for three different velocities, i.e., 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 m/s, with swimmer gliding at different depths with intervals of 0.25 m, each starting from the water surface, respectively. The numerical results of pressure drag and total coefficients at individual average race velocities were obtained. The results showed that the drag coefficient decreased as depth increased, with a trend toward reduced fluctuation after 0.5m depth from the water surface. The selection of the appropriate depth during the gliding phase should be a main concern of swimmers and coaches.

Effect of wearing a swimsuit on hydrodynamic drag of swimmer

The purpose of this study was to analyse the effect of wearing a swimsuit on swimmer's passive drag. A computational fluid dynamics analysis was carried out to determine the hydrodynamic drag of a female swimmer's model (i) wearing a standard swimsuit; (ii) wearing a last generation swimsuit and; (iii) with no swimsuit, wearing light underwear. The three-dimensional surface geometry of a female swimmer's model with different swimsuit/underwear was acquired through standard commercial laser scanner. Passive drag force and drag coefficient were computed with the swimmer in a prone position. Higher hydrodynamic drag values were determined when the swimmer was with no swimsuit in comparison with the situation when the swimmer was wearing a swimsuit. The last generation swimsuit presented lower hydrodynamic drag values, although very similar to standard swimsuit. In conclusion, wearing a swimsuit could positively influence the swimmer's hydrodynamics, especially reducing the pressure drag component.