South Australian Sports Institute

ACSA is open to wind tunnel test bookings and aerodynamic engineering services for individual clients, sports industry manufacturers and other sports service providers. Please contact ACSA for more information and to book in a call with an ACSA staff member.

Features

• Nozzle area 2.9m x 2.2m (6.38 m2).
• Max speed >30 m/sec, ~110 km/hr
• Flow quality, turbulence, boundary layer thickness optimised for sports aerodynamics.
• Floor boundary layer suction system to cater for low ground clearance test objects.
• High accuracy, turntable with 6-component, dual range force balance to cater for a wide range of sports and low speed aerodynamic research applications. Built on a high mass support, for maximum stiffness and minimum vibration.
• Yaw angles up to 45 degrees.
• Motorised drive/resistance rollers and fittings to accommodate various wheeled sports and other low speed applications.
• Rapid start-up / stop fan, up to 600 rpm.
• Low acoustic noise.
• Fully airconditioned flow for athlete thermal comfort and controllable test conditions, all year around.
• Multi-view athlete/test object video feedback and outline capture system.

Services

• High fidelity, customised Aerodynamic wind tunnel testing.
• Manage test map design for best efficiencies and impact.
• Detailed, secured and timely testing reports.
• Performance engineering design expertise.
• CFD analysis and CAD design.
• Full sports performance life-cycle service, from performance modelling through to competition analysis, field testing and continuous improvement feedback loops.

SASI employs internationally experienced sports aerodynamics specialists to apply a performance engineering approach with wind tunnel testing, CFD analysis and field testing to optimise athlete positions, help make equipment selection decisions and guide equipment development.

Kevin Tabotta - High-Performance Manager

Kevin is responsible for the leadership and management of SASI's key operational areas as well as partnership sport programs and projects. Prior to working in this role, he spent five years working out of Girona, Spain as the Performance Director for the GreenEDGE UCI World Tour professional cycling teams. During this time, he helped lead a performance strategy towards success in some of the world’s biggest road cycling races including the Tour de France. His involvement working in high-performance cycling roles dates back to 1997.

John Pitman - Head of Aerodynamics

John leads the aerodynamics strategy, people and projects. With 15 years of experience under his belt, John brings international expertise to the role having worked with Jaguar Land Rover in the UK after obtaining his degree in Aerodynamics. He made the move to Australia in 2017 after getting the call up from AusCycling to work on their aero projects, where he played a pivotal role in Australian cyclists’ preparation for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Rad Radovic - Sports Aerodynamics Engineer

Rad operates the wind tunnel and computational simulation using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). His background is in academic CFD and Mechanical Engineering, completing a Master of Research and on track with a PhD in external aerodynamics. He has also managed design projects as a contract design engineer along with teaching mechanical design units at Macquarie University, focusing on design principles and analysis.