A master thesis from Aalborg University
Development and validation of a low- cost system for assessing aerodynamics in cycling using computational fluid dynamics
Author(s)
Term
4. semester
Education
Publication year
2017
Submitted on
2017-06-06
Pages
10 pages
Abstract
Introduction: The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a low- cost system for assessing aerodynamics in cycling using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). This was necessary since there isn’t an alternative, for assessing aerodynamics, available for bike fitters who don’t have access to a wind tunnel. Method: A low- cost 3D scanning system had to be developed. One elite cyclist had to perform 3 trials in 3 different positions on the 3D scanning system followed by CFD simulations, and the same 9 trials in a wind tunnel for validation purposes. During all trials, the drag coefficient was being examined. Results: The average accuracy of the system was 91.8% compared to wind tunnel tests. The precision of the system, aka the repeatability of the trials, was 94.8% compared to 97.5% from wind tunnel tests. Conclusion: These results show the potential of the system as an alternative for wind tunnel tests when it comes to assessing aerodynamic performance in cycling. Considering the possibilities on further improvements, it should be able to obtain even better results with this system.
Keywords
Documents
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