The XXIV Winter Olympics will open in Beijing on February 4, 2022. The Sports Department of China News Network launched a series of columns "100 Questions about the Winter Olympics", which aims to popularize the knowledge of the Winter Olympics, answer hot questions, and talk about ice and snow anecdotes, so as to help everyone have a better viewing experience during the Beijing Winter Olympics.
No. 73 Winter Olympics | What is the sports wind tunnel used for?
On October 25, 2020, the first comprehensive sports training wind tunnel in China was officially opened at the CRRC Erqi National Ice and Snow Sports Science and Training Base. Sports wind tunnel, this sounds a little strange name, do you know what it is used for?
Wind tunnel, also known as wind tunnel laboratory, is simply a kind of pipeline-like experimental equipment that generates and controls airflow in an artificial manner, simulates the flow of gas around the aircraft or entity, and can measure the effect of airflow on the entity and observe physical phenomena. The most important application of the wind tunnel laboratory is in the aerospace field.
Image source: CCTV video screenshot.
In recent years, the use of wind tunnels for preparation training has become the choice of many ice and snow sports, and is one of the important scientific and technological means to improve the competitive performance of athletes.
In the field of sports, wind tunnels can be applied to test the aerodynamic data of athletes. According to the principle of relative motion, the wind speed in the wind tunnel is used to simulate the movement speed, which provides a good simulation environment for athletes to carry out special training.
With the wind tunnel test, the ski jumper's flying posture was changed from parallel snowboard to V-shaped action. Compared to parallel snowboards, the V-shaped pose reduces wind resistance by 28% and provides more lift. In addition, athletes need to rely on arm swing to control body balance during flight, and the mastery of this skill also needs to be continuously strengthened in wind tunnel equipment.
According to Cui Chun, the person in charge of the construction of sports wind tunnels in the three general sports departments of the Eleventh Academy of Aerospace Science and Technology Group, the wind speed of sports is relatively low, and the design of sports wind tunnels should be within the range of sports wind speeds. It is reported that the wind tunnel test is mainly used in racing sports, such as running, rowing, ski jumping and other projects.
In addition, in the wind tunnel laboratory, athletes' clothing fabrics, helmets, snowmobiles and other equipment can be tested to find clothing fabrics and sports equipment that suit the characteristics of different sports and different material requirements, helping athletes better reduce air resistance and thus create better sports performance.
It is understood that China has built a sports wind tunnel cluster including the sports comprehensive wind tunnel of the Erqi Factory Science and Training Base and the professional wind tunnel of Laiyuan Ski Jumping. (Liu Xingchen)