Computational Fluid Dynamics Method for the Analysis of the Hydrodynamic Performance in Swimming

Numerical simulations of the flow around a swimmer during the different swimming phases were carried out to understand the drag force. In mechanics of swimming, the re‐ duction of forces, which oppose to the swimmers advancement, plays a very important part in the improvement of the performances. As a consequence, the performance im‐ provement requires a better understanding of the structure of the fluid flow around swimmers and a good knowledge of the pressure fields and wall shear stress encoun‐ tered to minimize them. This chapter will focus on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) procedures and results for this practical implication in swimming and will aim at high‐ lighting details on numerical schemes, validations, and results showing the way CFD can be used as a powerful tool in swimming understanding.