Sports Aerodynamics
Research Area
Vehicle & Sports Aerodynamics
Studying aerodynamic forces on vehicles, athletes, and equipment using wind-tunnel experiments and CFD to improve performance and reduce drag.
Aerodynamics plays a critical role in both automotive design and competitive sports. Our research investigates how airflow interacts with bluff bodies — from road vehicles to cyclists and sport projectiles — with the goal of understanding drag, lift, and wake structures that govern real-world performance.
We combine wind-tunnel measurement techniques (PIV, hot-wire anemometry, pressure taps) with computational tools to generate high-fidelity datasets that inform design improvements and equipment regulations.
Featured Research
CFD Flow Visualization — Cyclist Aerodynamics
What We Study
Key Focus Areas
Vehicle Aerodynamics
Drag and wake analysis of ground vehicles, including road cars and heavy trucks operating near the ground plane.
Sports & Athlete Aerodynamics
Airflow around cyclists, skiers, and sport projectiles — quantifying how posture and equipment shape aerodynamic drag.
Bluff Body Wakes
Characterising turbulent wake structures and unsteady forces on blunt objects across a range of Reynolds numbers.
Interested in this research?
We welcome collaborations with industry partners and prospective graduate students.
Research Output
Related Publications
Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics · 2024
Effect of roughness and trips on the drag of a circular cylinder at subcritical flow
V.N. Esfahani, V. Rajavarothayam, K. Quan, R. Hanson, P. Lavoie · Vol. 253, 105847
Physics of Fluids · 2025
Vortex shedding from a yaw-oscillating circular cylinder in subcritical flow
V. Nasr Esfahani, R. Hanson, A. Ekmekci · Vol. 37(2), 025191
Journal of Fluids and Structures · 2022
Spanwise wake structure of a yaw-oscillating circular cylinder at subcritical flow
V.N. Esfahani, R. Hanson, A. Ekmekci · Vol. 114, 103746
Journal of Fluids and Structures · 2022
Near-wake of a yaw-oscillating circular cylinder at subcritical flow
V.N. Esfahani, R.E. Hanson, A. Ekmekci · Vol. 110, 103511