No. 4 - September 2012 - Communications and Development ...

Student designsOlympic skinsuitsA University of Canterbury PhD student is responsible for thecutting–edge skinsuits worn by Kiwi track cyclists at theLondon Olympic Games.Lindsey Underwood spent the last twoyears of her mechanical engineering PhDdedicated to designing athletes’ skinsuitsfor BikeNZ, as well as researching the bestbody position for athletes to adopt on thebike to enhance their speed.The Kiwi track cyclists performedexceptionally well at the London Olympicswith Simon van Velthooven and the Men'sTeam Pursuit winning bronze medals.Lindsey worked with Stuart McIntyre,who designed and sewed the skinsuitpatterns, and said it was an honour to beinvolved with the Olympic team and BikeNZ.“I have worked closely with BikeNZthroughout my PhD. It started off with melooking at the aerodynamics of bodypositions of track cyclists on their bikes andways to improve their speed. For example, Ianalysed whether athletes should have alower head position or change their handposition on the handle bars by adjusting thehandle bars to the most efficient height,”she said.“We were trying to get the lowest dragforce possible by changing body positionand using the right equipment. From there Ibegan looking at skinsuits as a side projectand how different designs could reduce dragand help improve speed. I found a goodskinsuit can gain anything frommilliseconds to whole seconds, and as racescan be won by milliseconds it can be a hugeadvantage. It was a real honour whenBikeNZ asked me to design the Olympicteam’s suits.”Lindsey, who has recently been employedas a lecturer in engineering and sportsbiomechanics at CPIT, worked at the UCengineering department’s wind tunnel thatsimulates speeds of up to 46km/h for bothaspects of her research.“I looked at different technical fabricsthat could be used and how, just bychanging the seam placement, you canreduce drag on skinsuits. As the air movesover the athlete initially there is smoothflow known as laminar flow, which thenseparates at a particular point and forms awake. By tripping the flow from laminar toturbulent flow before this separation occurs,the flow remains attached to the body forlonger and reduces the drag. This wasachieved by creating a design with differenttechnical fabrics with specially placedseams,” Lindsey said.Lindsey said the challenge was designingthe right combination of technical fabricsLindsey Underwood with a prototype of the skinsuitshe developed for BikeNZ.sourced from overseas along with the way itwas pieced together to fit individualathletes.“It’s the technical fabric that’s reallyimportant, even combinations of fabrics.The fabric doesn’t have to be all smooth —you can mix the textures to cover specificparts of the body with specific materials toget that flow staying attached to the body.”Lindsey said it was an experience shewould proudly remember.“It’s a competitive industry and no onetells each other what they are doing. It wasquite nerve–wracking watching our cyclistscompete but it was great to see themsucceed. It was amazing and really special towork so closely with the athletes as well asthe coaches. I’m very proud of what weachieved,” she said.BikeNZ‘s Andy Reid said Lindsey’s workplayed an important role."Lindsay has added invaluable expertiseto our skinsuit development programme.The final results are not only veryaerodynamic but also, with the knowledgeand expertise of Stuart McIntyre, the bestfitting skinsuits our athletes have ever had.”CHRONICLE 47, No.4, September 2012