The airflow from the HVAC system and cross ventilation in indoor badminton courts can influence the movement of a birdie, which is particularly crucial during play. New research suggests that altering roof designs could help diminish the effects of wind drift. The researchers advocate for significant badminton matches to take place on courts featuring a barrel roof with a ventilation opening. They explored the airflow in a barrel roof venue with various ventilation opening orientations and compared this to a flat roof simulation to assess the impact of roof shapes.
Indoor badminton courts often host high-stakes tournaments, yet even enclosed courts can influence the flight of a birdie.
The airflow resulting from a court’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, along with cross ventilation, greatly influences the game. The lightweight birdie often swayed by low wind speeds within the arena is susceptible to a phenomenon known as wind drift, which has sparked numerous controversies during tournaments. While it may be tempting to turn off the ventilation system, this can lead to discomfort for the players and reduced performance.
A study published in Physics of Fluids by AIP Publishing suggests that altering roof designs could help reduce wind drift. Karthik Jayanarasimhan, one of the authors, recommends that key badminton matches be held in courts featuring a barrel roof with strategically placed ventilation openings.
“This research can be highly beneficial for the design of upcoming badminton venues, allowing the selection of roof types and openings based on our findings,” Jayanarasimhan noted.
To find the best roof shape for minimizing wind drift, the research team modeled the airflow in a stadium with a barrel roof while varying the directions of the ventilation openings. They also conducted a comparison with a flat roof simulation to grasp the influences of different roof designs.
While the authors recognize that it’s impractical to renovate every existing badminton stadium according to their guidelines, their study highlights the importance of identifying areas within courts that experience the least wind drift during matches.
“For established barrel roof arenas, adjusting the ventilation openings could be a beneficial approach, whereas a full roof renovation would incur significantly higher costs,” Jayanarasimhan explained.
Jayanarasimhan envisions that these insights will prompt the sports community to explore improved solutions for reducing wind drift rather than simply switching off the ventilation systems.
“We anticipate that with continued research, complaints regarding wind drift in badminton tournaments will become minimal,” Jayanarasimhan stated. “We’re also planning to investigate other roof configurations, analyze how different wind directions affect shuttlecock trajectories, and conduct case studies of current indoor badminton venues.”
