Dr. Samir Aouadi, Editor of Surface and Coatings
Technology and Professor of Materials Science and
Engineering at the University of North Texas, has over
15 years of experience in using various techniques to
modify materials’ surfaces. He explained:
“Coatings are currently used to extend the lifetime and
enhance the performance of several components that
are used by athletes. For example, coatings are used
to reduce friction improve on the wear resistance of
bearings used in high performance bicycle bearings.
In addition, protective ceramic coatings are also used
for golf club heads, air rifle barrels, and in various bow
modules used in archery to provide surface lubrication
as well as impact, scratch, and corrosion/chemical
protection. Finally, epoxy coatings are used on kayaks
and on paddles to enhance their scratch and corrosion
protection.”
Hugh Trenchard, an independent researcher in
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, whose interest in
peloton dynamics and collective behavior stems from
his experiences as a competitive cyclist, runner and
duathlete. His primary research objective is to show
how self-organized principles of peloton dynamics are
ubiquitous across biological collectives and represent
fundamental principles of evolution. He explained:
When cyclists save energy by drafting, they also couple
their energy expenditures. This means that each cyclist’s
output is directly affected by the outputs of their nearest
neighbors. This interactivity produces self-organized
collective behavior. ‘Self-organized’ means that behavior
emerges bottom-up from basic physical principles;
i.e. the collective behavior is not driven by top-down
demands, such as when a leader shouts at team-mates
to move to certain positions. Of course top-down
behavior does occur in pelotons, and cyclists constantly
adjust positions according to team tactics and strategies.
However, certain collective behaviors can be shown to
emerge from underlying physical coupling principles.
The study of collective behavior is an area of physics
known as complexity theory, and includes the study of
flocks, schools, and herds.
“Coupling among cyclists is a function of three basic
physical/physiological factors: the speed or power-
output of a leading cyclist, the energy saved by drafting,
and the maximal sustainable outputs of the drafting rider.
With these three factors, we can model the collective
behavior of pelotons. We can show that there are
different thresholds and phases of collective behavior.
A phase transition means there is both a quantitative
and qualitative difference in the pattern formation and
structure of the peloton. Such phases include cyclists
forming a single-file line, when they are cycling near
their sustainable maximums and cannot easily pass
others; and a dense and compact formation, when riders
cycle at lower outputs and can pass their neighbors.”
“Thus, drafting is used to reduce wind resistance and it
is seen in cycling, running, swimming, and car racing as
well. Drafting and physiological factors produce collective
behavior and phase transitions. Computational Fluid
Dynamics is a computational technique used to model
drafting that can help athletes to prepare and train more
efficiently.”
Read more at: https://www.elsevier.com/connect/
the-physics-of-sports
THE CLAPPER 2018 - 2019
47
reducing the moment of inertia and her friction with
the air. Since angular momentum is conserved, her
rotational velocity must increase to compensate.
Aerodynamics in sports equipment, football and cycling
Aerodynamics is a term of physics that describes the
ability of an object to overcome air resistance. Thus, it
can be applied to cycling, the bicycle composition and
design, the clothing worn by the cyclist, and even the
positioning of the rider on the bicycle.