Few animals can compete with a peregrine falcon for pure speed. There is evidence that, when diving, the falcon can reach speeds upward of 200 mph (320 kph). That the birds can achieve this by pulling their wings back into a low-drag profile is impressive, but the control they exert to do so is even more astounding. The placement and acuity of a falcon’s eyes would require tilting its head roughly 40 degrees if diving straight down on its prey. Such asymmetry increases their drag by more than 50% and creates a torque that yaws the bird. Instead, as seen in the video above, the falcon keeps its head straight and flies in a spiral-like dive, allowing it to maintain sight contact with its target and maximizing its speed despite the extended dive. (Video credit: BBC; research credit: V. A. Tucker)
Sometimes structural forces and aerodynamic forces combine to produce instabilities. One of the most common and familiar examples of this, a flag flapping in the breeze, remains extremely complex to analyze and describe. The flexibility of the flag, and its small but finite resistance to bending, combine with the variability of air flow around the flag to create a fascinating dance of effects. This same aeroelastic flutter can create disastrous results for structures and aircraft. For more on the flapping flag, see Argentina and Mahadevan (2004). (Video credit: S. Morris)
Physics students are often taught to ignore the effects of air on a projectile, but such effects are not always negligible. This video features several great examples of the Magnus effect, which occurs when a spinning object moves through a fluid. The Magnus force acts perpendicular to the spin axis and is generated by pressure imbalances in the fluid near the object’s surface. On one side of the spinning object, fluid is dragged with the spin, staying attached to the object for longer than if it weren’t spinning. On the other side, however, the fluid is quickly stopped by the spin acting in the direction opposite to the fluid motion. The pressure will be higher on the side where the fluid stagnates and lower on the side where the flow stays attached, thereby generating a force acting from high-to-low, just like with lift on an airfoil. Sports players use this effect all the time: pitchers throw curveballs, volleyball and tennis players use topspin to drive a ball downward past the net, and golfers use backspin to keep a golf ball flying farther. (Video credit: Veritasium)
Flow visualization is a powerful design tool for engineers. When Google was interested in determining optimal configurations for their heliostat array, they turned to NASA Ames’ water tunnel facility to test upstream barriers to deflect flow off the heliostats. In each photo, flow is from left to right and fluorescent dye is used to mark streamlines and reveal qualitative flow detail. Upstream of the obstacles, the streamlines are coherent and laminar, but after deflection, the flow breaks down into turbulence. In this case, such turbulence is desirable because it lowers the local fluid velocity and thus the aerodynamic loads experienced by each heliostat, potentially allowing for a savings in fabrication. For more, see Google’s report on the project. (Photo credits: google.org)
Like the javelin, the discus throw is an athletic event dating back to the ancient Olympics. Competitors are limited to a 2.5 m circle from which they throw, leading to the sometimes elaborate forms used by athletes to generate a large velocity and angular momentum upon release. The flight of the discus is significantly dependent on aerodynamics, as the discus flies at an angle of attack. Spin helps stabilize its flight both dynamically and by creating a turbulent boundary layer along the surface which helps prevent separation and stall. Unlike many other events, a headwind is actually advantageous in the discus throw because it increases the relative velocity between the airflow and the discus, thereby increasing lift. The headwind also increases the drag force on the discus, but research shows the benefits of the increased lift outweigh the effects of increased drag, so much so that a discus flies further in air than it would in a vacuum. (Photo credits: P Kopczynski, Wiki Commons, EPA/K Okten)
FYFD is celebrating the Olympics by featuring the fluid dynamics of sports. Check out our previous posts, including why corner kicks swerve, what makes a pool fast, how an arrow flies, and how divers avoid splash.
Few Olympic events can boast as long as history as the javelin. Though the event has existed since the ancient Olympics, humans and our ancestors have been throwing spears for hundreds of millennia. But today’s javelin, oddly enough, is designed so that it cannot be thrown as far as those that came before. After a world record throw in 1984 that nearly reached the edge of the track, the sport’s governing body authorized new rules that shifted the weight of the javelin forward, causing the center of mass of the javelin to lie in front of its center of pressure. This causes the javelin to tip forward in flight, ensuring it will land nose down. Simultaneously, they made changes to the nose of the javelin to reduce its lift during flight, resulting in a javelin that flies only 90% of the previous distance. Since then manufacturers have introduced other innovations to try to increase the javelin’s flight, such as a roughened tail to prevent flow separation, only to later have these changes banned. (Photo credits: Getty Images, Zeenews)
FYFD is celebrating the Olympics by featuring the fluid dynamics of sport. Check out some of our previous posts, including what makes a pool fast, how divers reduce splash, how cyclists get “aero”, and how rowers overcome drag.
Running is not an event typically associated with aerodynamics, though any runner will tell you that a headwind can slow them down. For comparison, a swimmer on world record pace sees 40 to 50 times the drag force of a runner over the same distance. But despite the relatively small influence of drag on a runner, there are measurable effects due to wind and altitude when races are judged by hundredths of a second. Given this, it comes as no surprise that researchers (and presumably manufacturers) are starting to considering how to optimize aerodynamics in running. The video above describes results of a study on running shoes that suggests modest savings may be derived from shoes with dimpled surfaces, much like a golf ball. Socks, on the other hand, don’t show any aerodynamic savings from special surfaces. Of course, the bulk of a runner’s drag comes from their hair and clothing; this is, in part, why runners wear form fitting clothes. While there may be some aerodynamic savings to be had, I don’t think we’ll see world records falling like crazy in Rio because of the latest new shoes.
FYFD is celebrating the Olympics by featuring the fluid dynamics of sport. Check out our previous posts on how the Olympic torch works, what makes a pool fast, the aerodynamics of archery, the science of badminton, how cyclists get “aero”, and how divers reduce splash.
In no discipline of cycling is more emphasis placed on fluid dynamics than in the individual time trial. This event, a solo race against the clock, leaves riders no place to hide from the aerodynamic drag that makes up 70% or more of the resistance riders overcome when pedaling. Time trial bikes are designed for low drag and light weight over maneuverability, using airfoil-like shapes in the fork and frame to direct airflow around the bike and rider without separation, which creates an area of low pressure in the wake that increases drag. Riders maintain a position stretched out over the front wheel of the bike, with their arms close together. This position reduces the frontal area exposed to the flow, which is proportional to the drag a rider experiences.
Special helmets, some with strangely streamlined curves, are used to direct airflow over the rider’s head and straight along his or her back. Both helmets and skinsuits are starting to feature areas of dimpling or raised texturing. These function in much the same way as a golf ball; the texture causes the boundary layer, the thin layer of air near a surface, to become turbulent. A turbulent boundary layer is less susceptible to separating from the surface, ultimately leading to lower drag than would be observed if the boundary layer remained laminar. Wheels, skinsuits, gloves, shoe covers, and even the location of the brakes on the bike are all tweaked to reduce drag. In an event that can be decided by hundredths of a second between riders, every gram of drag counts. (Photo credits: Stefano Rellandini, POC Sports, Reuters, Paul Starkey, Louis Garneau)
FYFD is celebrating the Olympics by featuring the fluid dynamics of sports. Check out our previous posts on how the Olympic torch works, what makes a pool fast, the aerodynamics of archery, and the science of badminton.
Unlike most racket sports, badminton uses a projectile that is nothing like a sphere. The unusual shape of the shuttlecock not only creates substantial drag in comparison to a ball but increases the complexity of its flight path. The heavy head of the shuttlecock creates a moment that stabilizes its flight, ensuring that the head always points in the direction of travel. The skirt, traditionally made of feathers though many today are plastic, is responsible for the aerodynamic forces that make the shuttlecock’s behavior so interesting.
Measuring the drag coefficient of the shuttlecock, modeling its trajectory and behavior in the four common badminton shots, and even attempting computational fluid dynamics of the shuttlecock are all on-going research problems in sports engineering. (Photo credit: Rob Bulmahn)
FYFD is celebrating the Olympics with the fluid dynamics of sports. Check out our previous posts on how the Olympic torch works, what makes a pool fast, and the aerodynamics of archery.
Archery is one of the oldest Olympic sports, but the physics involved are remarkably complex. Even looking only at the flight of the arrow, the problem is hardly simple. The heavy point of the arrow makes it front-heavy, and the fletches on the back of the arrow provide additional surface area on which air can act. This means that the center of mass of the arrow—where gravity acts—is further forward than the center of pressure—where aerodynamic forces act. This results in the aerodynamic forces helping to stabilize the flight of the arrow. To see why this is important, try throwing a dart fletching first!
When an arrow is fired from a bow, as in the high speed video above, the sudden impetus of force from the bowstring causes the arrow to flex and vibrate as it is fired. The aerodynamic forces generated by the fletches straighten the arrow’s flight, helping it reach the intended target accurately. Some fletching is designed to make the arrow spin; this can further improve accuracy but comes at the cost of speed since some of the arrow’s initial kinetic energy must be converted to rotation. For more, check out Archery Report, which features some great articles on the physics of archery and even has CFD comparing arrow tips. Mark Leach also has some great information on tuning a bow, which, if done properly, allows one to accurately shoot unfletched arrows.
FYFD is celebrating the Olympics by looking at the fluid dynamics of sports. Check out our previous posts on how the Olympic torch works and what makes a pool fast.
