Interviews
NASA know-how helps swimmers rocket through water
18 Feb '08
4 min read
Warnaco Inc, which is the U.S. licensee of the Speedo swimwear brand, approached NASA Langley to test fabric samples, since NASA Langley has researched drag reduction for aircraft and even boats for decades.
Just like reducing drag helps planes fly more efficiently, reducing drag helps swimmers go faster. Studies indicate viscous drag or skin friction is almost one-third of the total restraining force on a swimmer. Wind tunnel tests measure the drag on the surface of the fabrics.
This is the first time I've tested a fabric and there were some challenges involved," said researcher Wilkinson. "It was a challenge to figure out how to get the fabric on a test plate and how to prepare the edges so nothing would interfere with air flow over the fabric. I think we've done a really good job with the help of Speedo coming up with a protocol that lets us to test these fabrics with ease and precision."
The candidate materials Wilkinson receives from the company come in the form of tubes. He stretches the tubes over a smooth, flat aluminum plate, then tapes down the edges. The plate goes into the small wind tunnel test section. With a flip of a switch, air flows over it. Wilkinson runs the tunnel through a number of wind speeds and, with the help of sensors, measures drag on the surface. He records the data and then sends it on to Speedo researchers.
"It turns out to simulate a swimmer in the water at about two meters per second, we need to run the wind tunnel at about 28 meters per second (about 63 miles per hour), which is well within its capability," added Wilkinson. "The tests have generally shown the smoother the fabric, the lower the drag."
Speedo's research and development team, Aqualab, took those results and used them to help create a new swimsuit that the company says is its most hydro-dynamically advanced swimsuit to date.
Just like reducing drag helps planes fly more efficiently, reducing drag helps swimmers go faster. Studies indicate viscous drag or skin friction is almost one-third of the total restraining force on a swimmer. Wind tunnel tests measure the drag on the surface of the fabrics.
This is the first time I've tested a fabric and there were some challenges involved," said researcher Wilkinson. "It was a challenge to figure out how to get the fabric on a test plate and how to prepare the edges so nothing would interfere with air flow over the fabric. I think we've done a really good job with the help of Speedo coming up with a protocol that lets us to test these fabrics with ease and precision."
The candidate materials Wilkinson receives from the company come in the form of tubes. He stretches the tubes over a smooth, flat aluminum plate, then tapes down the edges. The plate goes into the small wind tunnel test section. With a flip of a switch, air flows over it. Wilkinson runs the tunnel through a number of wind speeds and, with the help of sensors, measures drag on the surface. He records the data and then sends it on to Speedo researchers.
"It turns out to simulate a swimmer in the water at about two meters per second, we need to run the wind tunnel at about 28 meters per second (about 63 miles per hour), which is well within its capability," added Wilkinson. "The tests have generally shown the smoother the fabric, the lower the drag."
Speedo's research and development team, Aqualab, took those results and used them to help create a new swimsuit that the company says is its most hydro-dynamically advanced swimsuit to date.
NASA
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