Numerical Modelling of a Hand in Water

The pressures of modern competition swimming has increased the desire for the use of technology and science in the pursuit of a speed advantage. This has lead to revolutionary new suits and other equipment such as goggles and for training. Attention to technique and minimising drag have had a less prominent profile but are beginning to become more important. Part of the lack of advancement has been that a swimming stroke is very complex action and determining precise angles and orientations is necessary before drag and lift calculations can be undertaken. Work has been done that has established that the hand could be treated as an aerofoil. Work was undertaken to numerically model a mechanical hand that was being used to undertake both static and dynamic experimental testing within a flume. This paper is concerned with the initial modelling phase and static testing. It will look at comparisons of data at different incident angles and different flow velocities to establish the validity of progressing this work. Issues with the generic nature of the model will also be addressed.