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JOURNAL
OF
SPORTS SCIENCE &
MEDICINE
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Research
article
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HYDRODYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF DIFFERENT THUMB POSITIONS IN SWIMMING |
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Daniel A. Marinho1,2,3  ,
Abel I. Rouboa3, Francisco B. Alves4, João P. Vilas-Boas5,
Leandro Machado5, Victor M. Reis2,3 and António J.
Silva2,3 |
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1University of Beira Interior. Department of Sport Sciences, UBI, Covilhã, Portugal, 2Centre of Research in Sports, Health and Human Development, CIDESD, Vila Real, Portugal, 3University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro. Department of Sport Sciences, UTAD, Vila Real, Portugal, 4Technical University of Lisbon. Faculty of Human Kinetics, FMH-UTL, Lisbon, Portugal, 5University of Porto. Faculty of Sport (FADEUP, Porto, Portugal. |
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© Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (2009) 8, 58 - 66 Search Google Scholar for Citing Articles |
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| ABSTRACT | |||
| The aim of the present study was to analyze the hydrodynamic characteristics
of a true model of a swimmer hand with the thumb in different positions
using numerical simulation techniques. A three-dimensional domain was created
to simulate the fluid flow around three models of a swimmer hand, with the
thumb in different positions: thumb fully abducted, partially abducted,
and adducted. These three hand models were obtained through computerized
tomography scans of an Olympic swimmer hand. Steady-state computational
fluid dynamics analyses were performed using the Fluent® code. The forces
estimated in each of the three hand models were decomposed into drag and
lift coefficients. Angles of attack of hand models of 0º, 45º and 90º, with
a sweep back angle of 0º were used for the calculations. The results showed
that the position with the thumb adducted presented slightly higher values
of drag coefficient compared with thumb abducted positions. Moreover, the
position with the thumb fully abducted allowed increasing the lift coefficient
of the hand at angles of attack of 0º and 45º. These results suggested that,
for hand models in which the lift force can play an important role, the
abduction of the thumb may be better, whereas at higher angles of attack,
in which the drag force is dominant, the adduction of the thumb may be preferable.
Key words: Computational fluid dynamics, reverse engineering, hand, finger, drag, lift. |
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