A heuristic model-based approach for compensating wind effects in ski jumping

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Aerodynamics
• Biomechanics

Background:

• Ski jumping performance is significantly affected by wind conditions, raising fairness concerns.
• Current wind compensation systems (International Ski Federation, 2009) use linear statistical models based on averaged wind data, which can yield inaccurate results.
• The need for a more precise method to assess wind's impact on ski jump length is evident.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and validate an alternative mathematical wind compensation approach for ski jumping.
• To develop a method that provides more accurate estimations of wind's effect on jump length compared to existing systems.

Main Methods:

• Developed a mechanistic model of the ski jump flight phase.
• Calculated jump length effect as the difference between real jump length and simulated jump length under calm wind conditions.
• Utilized kinematic and wind velocity data to determine initial flight velocity and aerodynamic coefficients via inverse dynamics.

Main Results:

• The mechanistic model provides a more accurate estimation of the jump length effect of wind.
• Accuracy is dependent on measurement errors in kinematic and wind data, not model inaccuracies.
• This approach overcomes limitations of previous linear statistical models.

Conclusions:

• The proposed mechanistic model offers a superior method for wind compensation in ski jumping.
• Accurate aerodynamic and kinematic data are crucial for reliable wind effect estimation.
• This advancement can lead to fairer ski jumping competitions.