91制片厂

When mechanical engineering students Adam Lovell 鈥�17 and Alec听Cunningham 鈥�17 chose to pursue their passion for cycling as a research project, there were limited options where they could conduct full-scale testing.

Lucky for them, 91制片厂's Flow Physics Facility 鈥� the largest boundary layer wind tunnel in the world 鈥� happens to be one of those suitable places.

Lovell and Cunningham, members of the 91制片厂 cycling team, were interested in exploring the impact of drafting 鈥� riding directly behind another cyclist to save energy 鈥� during crosswinds, a subject with little published research. The pair was among more than 300 students who presented research findings during the Undergraduate Research Conference鈥檚 (URC-ISE) in the Whittemore Center Arena on .

鈥淭he large number of variables posed a听challenge, but figuring their effects is very rewarding,鈥� says project advisor Ivo Nedyalkov, a lecturer in mechanical engineering. 鈥淎dam and Alec听are听very enthusiastic and have being听doing an outstanding job.鈥�

The research began with a 1:11 scale prototype model of cyclists in different formations of up to four cyclists that were tested in the wind tunnel. With plenty of real-world riding experience, Cunningham says initial findings were as expected.

鈥淲hen we started to do offset tests, that鈥檚 when things got very interesting,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e started to discover things I did not expect.鈥�

The research shows that ideal formations depend on the shape and size of the cyclists in the formation and size of the cyclists. But to better understand initial findings, they expanded the project to include testing in the Flow Physics Facility with Cunningham and Lovell serving as the cyclists. The additional inquiry sought to better understand the positioning of the drafting cyclist and how wheel rotation impacts the results.

鈥淟earning how to utilize the drag balance in the student wind tunnel and the instruments in the Flow Physics Facility has been听challenge but rewarding,鈥� says Lovell. 听

Data analysis also presented its challenges, but the work paid off: Their studies of favorable drafting position will be published in a conference paper from the summer meeting of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Fluids Engineering Division. The team plans to publish a journal paper with all findings upon finishing their testing in the wind tunnel.

Perhaps as important, Cunningham and Lovell plan to apply their knowledge to gain an edge on the competition in future cycling races.

鈥淭he results we got can now be applied to real riding and racing,鈥� says Cunningham. 鈥淥bviously, the wind is very complex as it changes all the time, but now we can understand what to do much better.鈥�