Engineering Swimwear
Swimwear has always presented an interesting piece of clothing. It reveals more than it covers yet it managed to become a very carefully designed garment. Not only that is can present a real fashion statement but is also used in all water sports and its functionality is of great importance there.
Basics:
A swimsuit, bathing suit, or swimming costume is an item of clothing designed to be worn by men, women or children while they are engaging in a water-based activity or water sports, such as swimming, water polo, diving, surfing, water skiing, or during activities in the sun, such as sun bathing. A swimsuit can be worn as an undergarment in sports that require a wetsuit such as water skiing, scuba diving, surfing, and wakeboarding. Swimsuits are also worn when there is a need to display the body, as in the case of beauty pageants or bodybuilding contests. Glamour photography and magazines like the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue feature models and sports personalities in swimsuits.
There is a very wide range of styles of modern swimsuits, which vary in relation to body coverage and materials. The choice of style of swimsuit is dependent on current fashions and community standards of modesty, as well as on personal preferences. [1]
This paper investigates an engineering approach using numerical analysis on a new constitutive model of the competitive swimwear. First, an anisotropic hyperelastic model was proposed. It reproduces the mechanical characteristics and its material modulus are estimated by the biaxial loading test. From this biaxial loading test, the fabrics for competitive swimwear have shown nonlinear elasticity which is regarded as hyperelasticity like rubber. In addition, they also have shown anisotropic characteristic which is dependent on the directions of warp and weft yarn. An anisotropic model is represented by the power series of invariants of stretch and shear deformation in each yarn. In order to verify the reproducibility, the material parameters of the proposed model were determined by nonlinear least squares approximation and the theoretical value was introduced. Second, from the cyclic loading test results, the materials have shown the viscosity and stress-softening effect. We proposed softening model for cyclic deformation. [2]
The purpose of this study is development of a new design method for competitive swimwear by numerical simulation. Biaxial tensile loading tests were conducted to obtain the mechanical characteristics of competitive swimwear. The fabrics of competitive swimwear consist of chemical fiber. Therefore, the fabrics show anisotropic characteristics that depend on the fiber orientation angle. From biaxial tensile loading test results, the fabric has orthotropy and the stiffness of the fabric shows the graph like the two polygonal lines along with the increase of stretch. An anisotropic hyperelastic model was applied to the reproduction of mechanical characteristics of swimwear. The anisotropic hyperelastic model in this paper is able to adjust the axial and shear stiffness individually. The material parameters of the anisotropic hyperelastic model for the finite element simulation were determined from biaxial tensile loading test results. And then, finite element simulation of tensile loading tests was conducted to show the applicability of our design method to competitive swimwear. In finite element analysis, the bias of deformation and stress distribution by the anisotropy were reproduced. It is important to design the pressure given by stretch of competitive swimwear from the two viewpoints, the exercise performance and the burden to the heart function. We estimated the pressure caused by wearing competitive swimwear against the human body using a simple cylinder model. [3]
Hydrodynamic resistance, also called water drag, is one of the most discussed issues in swimming sport and recognized as a major factor in terms of swimming performance. Different authors tried to demonstrate that body compression is responsible for a better result in swimming, based on the fact that body modelling improves energy saving and helps to maintain the performance on repetitive movements. In this paper, different weft knitted fabrics, prepared under predefined production parameters, were tested in order to establish which were the most adequate for compressive effect and which parameters contribute most for compression. [4]
Purpose: The paper aims to provide an overview of the area of smart textiles. Design/methodology/approach: The paper describes and discusses new and developing materials and technologies used in the textile industries. Findings: Significant progress has been achieved in the area of technical textiles. Fibres, yarns, fabrics and other structures with added-value functionality have been successfully developed for technical and/or high performance end-uses. The basic building blocks are already in place in the field of smart textiles and clothing. Practical implications: As progress in science and engineering research advances, and as the gap between designers and scientists narrows, the area of smart clothing is likely to keep on expanding for the foreseeable future. Growth is predicted to occur in two distinct directions: performance-driven smart clothing and fashion-driven smart clothing. There are challenges that have to be addressed. Originality/value: The paper provides information of value to those interested in the future directions of the textile industry. [5]
A breast support arrangement comprises a first breast cup which is connected with a first wing portion, and a second breast cup which is connected with a second wing portion. A connecting member passes from the first breast cup to the second breast cup via the second wing portion then the first wing portion; is moveable relative to each of the first and second wing portions; and is or includes an elastic member to draw the first breast cup towards the second wing portion, the second breast cup towards the first wing portion, and the first and second wing portions towards one another. Each wing portion includes a wing guide to couple the connecting member to the wing portion and guide movement of the connecting member relative to the wing portion. Each wing guide includes a guide body which defines a rigid guide portion to receive the connecting member. [6]
Conclusion:
Fashion designers invested a lot of time in making great looking swimming suits but experts and scientists have invested a lot of time into finding the best materials and models for athletes of water sports with the goal of producing their performances and helping the achieve better results.
References:
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swimsuit
[2] ”A Proposal of Material Modeling for Swimwear Considering Anisotropy and Viscosity” by: Takeya Nagaokaa, Akihiro Matsudab, Takatsugu Shimanac, Kazuhiro Omori
[3] ”Numerical analysis of competitive swimwear using finite element method” by: Hiromu Tanabea, Akihiro Matsudab, Takatsugu Shimanac, Kazuhiro Omori
[4] ”Study and optimization of swimming performance in swimsuit designed with seamless technology” by: Montagna, Gianni, Catarino, André P., Carvalho, Helder, Rocha, A. M.
[5] ”An overview of smart technologies for clothing design and engineering” by: Tang, S. Lam Po; Stylios, G. K.
[6] ”Breast support arrangement” by: Tyrer, John
