It is not easy to forge an ergometer vs. rowing comparison owing to the difficulty of deciding upon what basis to make it. One could maintain equal rower power; invent a time or energy cost for the ergometer to cover some fictitious course distance; compare stroke rate or chain-pull; etc.
I have chosen here to maintain equal rating, equal drive/recovery period ratio, and equal chain-pull force and profile--the comparison being made between handle power and total rower power output.
The rowing calculations are made by the model ROWING and the ergometer calculations by the model ERGMOM. The ergometer fanwheel torque drag factor, K, will be adjusted (the inlet damper set) to produce equal drive/recovery period ratios--an adjustment not possible in the shell.
Rower weight: 90.0 kg; Height: 1.95 m; Peak pull capacity; 650 N Stroke rating: 30.0 1/min
Single scull- Length: 8.0 m; Beam: 0.28 m; Weight: 15.0 kg Hull drag factor, Kw: 3.19 N-(sec/m)2 Air resistance, Ka: 0.32 N-(sec/m)2
Fanwheel mass moment, Im: 0.1001 kg-m2
Fanwheel torque drag factor, K: 0.000199 N-m(sec/rad)2
(damper setting)
Revised 10/17/02: Owing to an improved method of summimg the internal
works.
Constants & variables Sculler Exerciser
--------------------------------- --------------- ----------------
Weight, kg; Height, m 90.0; 1.95 90.0; 1.95
Peak chain-pull, N 650 650
Stroke rate, 1/min 30.0 30.0
Drive/recovery period ratio 0.851 0.851 *
* matched to rower's ratio by adjusting fanwheel damper setting
Hull drag factor 0.073 (&. air) n.a.
Fanwheel torque drag factor n.a. 0.000199(damper
Shell speed (avg.), m/s 4.23 n.a. [setting)
Fanwheel speed (avg.), rad/sec n.a. 101.8
Oarlock/Fanwheel shaft power, W 229 272
Captured body momentum power, W +48 +0
Shell/Fanwheel friction, W ===> 277 ===> 272
Oarblade/Ret.spg., brg. losses, W 81 27
Lost body momentum power, W +114 +121
Total rower power, W ===> 472 ===> 420
Recorded rower power (PM2), W n.a. 272
Oar/Pull-handle power, W 310 <===229 +81 299 <===272 +27
System efficiency 0.587 = 277/472 0.648 = 272/420
The only true way of devising an ergometer more realistically to model a shell is to "float" the device (as has been done by some) and to arrange that the footboard reaction be connected to the fanwheel so as to speed or to slow it as the force is positive or negative--just as the speed of a shell varies on the water.
2. The rower does more "handle" work than the exerciser because his blade losses are greater than are the exerciser's return spring and bearing losses.
3. Unless some amount is arbitrarily added to it the work done by the exerciser is grossly under-reported at the PM-2 recording device--by as much as thirty-five percent. The body slide momentum work is omitted as well as the work done on the handle return spring. In this case one would have to add as much as 148 W (127 kgCal/hr) to the recorded output in order to make up the unrecorded difference. Adding too much skews the values in the other direction. The amount to be added varies significantly with the weight and the size of the exerciser thus raising the possibility of some fairness issues in ergometer competitions. Note that Concept-II adds an arbitrary 300 kgCal/hr--a gross overestimate of the unrecorded power.
4. The sculler putting out 472 J/sec (Watts) takes 473 seconds at 4.23 m/sec
to cover a 2,000 meter course; a total work output of 223,000 Joules.
In order to expend 223,000 Joules (i.e., "row" 2,000 m @ 4.23 m/sec) the
exerciser (at only 420 J/sec) must work for 532 seconds; twelve percent longer
than the rower.
5. The sculler, at the exerciser's total power output of 420 watts, would travel at 4.09 m/sec (at 27.8 1/min) requiring 489 seconds for 2,000 meters. (Because the oarhandle pull is unchanged the rating must decline.)