Author(s): G. Christodoulou; A. Nanou; T. Papathanassiadis; C. Georgakopoulou; M. Kapetanaki
Linked Author(s): George Christodoulou
Keywords: Canoe/Kayak slalom; Physical model; Mathematical model; Olympic games
Abstract: The canoe/kayak slalom racing competition in the Athens 2004 Olympic Games took place in a specially designed artificial watercourse. The channel had a novel alignment in the form of a loop, with variable width and slope and a large number of movable obstacles aimed at creating the desirable flow conditions. Initial configurations of the obstacles had been suggested based on simplified one-dimensional flow computations. A 1: 20 physical model was built for a detailed investigation of the flow behavior based on Froude similarity. A total of 10 runs were carried out, with flowrates between 10. 5 and 21 m3/sec and the two initial configurations of obstacles. Depth measurements and qualitative observations suggested several changes in the obstacles number and placement to avoid overflows and unacceptably shallow areas. The paper presents the main experimental results and a comparison to those of the one-dimensional mathematical model. It is concluded that for highly complicated flow fields, such as those in the canoe/kayak slalom watercourse, a 1-D model can serve only for a preliminary assessment and a study on a physical model is essential.
Year: 2005