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Optimisation of Performance Rowing Blades

Will Harrison Orcid Logo, Ben I Morgan, Ben Morgan

Part P: Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology

Swansea University Authors: Will Harrison Orcid Logo, Ben Morgan

Abstract

Rowing blades (oars) transfer power from athletes to the water to propel a boat forward. The complex nature of fluid forces around a blade has only recently started to be understood with previous studies only investigating blades that are commercially available. The full motion of a blade spoon thro...

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Published in: Part P: Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology
Published:
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71913
Abstract: Rowing blades (oars) transfer power from athletes to the water to propel a boat forward. The complex nature of fluid forces around a blade has only recently started to be understood with previous studies only investigating blades that are commercially available. The full motion of a blade spoon through water is complex, with motion both longitudinal and perpendicular to the boat motion. This multidisciplinary research uses a combination of computational models with experimental analysis to evaluate how spoon shapes affect the fluid forces on a blade during rowing. The computational model used 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to evaluate the drag and lift forces around four different spoon shapes as they rotate through moving water. Each design had the same surface area, with different positions of maximum depth along their length. Experimental analyses used telemetry to measure blade forces during a series of rowing runs, for two different Concept2 blades, over different stroke rates and blade gearing. The results showed there was a correlation of R²=0.78 between the location of the spoon’s maximum depth and the lift force generated at the catch. The study also found that, a resultant fluid force change of 47.3 N, at the spoon, can promote a 10.7° ± 1.7° shift in the maximum force angle in the real world. The shift in maximum force angle highlighted how spoon design, especially regarding position of the maximum depth, affected the profile of the rowing stroke.
College: Faculty of Science and Engineering

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