Abstract

The ever increasing level of achievements in bobsled and luge sports makes it necessary to look for methods of aiding coaches and athletes in their practice. One of the methods is the computer simulation of the ideal downhill run with course geometry known and the following parameters given: 1.) mass of vehicle, 2.) mass of crew, 3.) ground friction coefficient, 4.) air drag coefficient, 5.) area of vehicle cross-section in plane vertical to movement direction, 6.) initial velocity of vehicle. The computer program based on the simplified mathematical model presented in this paper allows to simulate a downhill run on three different courses and to investigate the influence of the above listed parameters on the time of an ideal run and on velocity and overload in any point of the course. The program is interactive and user-friendly. The results of the simulation are presented in a graphic form, so that even people without experience in computer work can easily make use of the program. Verf.-Referat