INDAGINE NUMERICO/SPERIMENTALE SU PRESTAZIONI E RIGIDEZZA STRUTTURALE DI IMBARCAZIONI OLIMPIONICHE DA CANOTTAGGIO

Several studies have been made on sport of rowing: researches were made for coach and technicians to improve methods for training and tactics in race, in medicine to analyse the physical performance of athletes and the effects of physical stress in the body, and in engineering with studies and developments of equipments for "indoor" training, and new race boats. The present work is about this area: the aim of study is to optimize a method for dynamic analysis of athletes and boat, in different operating conditions, and use the information in structural analysis of hulls and boats components, through which the rowers work exerting forces of propulsion. With the collaboration of the shipyard Filippi Lido Srl, it was developed a measurement system, complete of sensors and acquisition control unit, produced specifically to detect all forces applied to the hull on water by each member's crew . The target of study was to analyzing the acquired data to develop a method optimizing performance and behaviour of the boats under real load conditions, to have a new procedure for design, construction or optimisation of the hulls. The equipment was tested with a series of on-water data acquisition, with support both of professional and amateur teams, and it was created a database with the collected information . Analysis of the data allowed the calculation of some performance indicators and it was possible to implement additional methods of investigation to highlight during the on-water test the differences in technique between different crews. The forces information of rowers were also classified in appropriate diagrams depending on the type of boat and crew, to use them as inputs in numerical and experimental analysis. Following these information were used in fatigue test for some critical components of boat, and in FEM simulations to compare the stiffness of different constructive solutions of an hull produced by Filippi Lido Srl. To do this, it was adopted a particular method of FEM analysis, called Inertia Relief, particularly suitable for static simulation of not constraint bodies, like as boats. As required by the company, the equipment and the method of investigation developed will be used by Filippi Lido Srl to design and verify new hull solutions, thus optimizing the boats and satisfy better the rowing teams.