Re: Smooth=better?

From: Scott Vieth (scottv@msn.fullfeed.com)
Date: Fri Apr 18 1997 - 19:00:35 EDT


Jon:

> Hmmm, this made me think of something...
>
> Golf balls are dimpled so they go farther. Apparently, air passing
> over a smooth golf ball creates a lot more friction than air passing
> over a dimpled one. This logic would seem to be the opposite of making
> stuff smooth to increase airflow. If the friction goes up, the airflow
> would have to go down, wouldn't it?
>
> I think you're right Sean, but this is an interesting bit of
> conflicting information... Am I missing something?
>
> -Jon-

Bear with me, I'm not an engineer (but I do spend a lot of time
watching the Discovery Channel).

The dimples on a golf ball trap air. As the golf ball flies through
the air, it rolls "forward" in the air. The pockets of air move
forward (the direction of flight) and down (toward the ground).
This creates an area of high pressure *under* the ball and an area of
*low* pressure above the ball. The spinning ball generates its own
lift. Kinda like the wings on a plane.

This principle would be tough to transition to the intake manifold
world.

=Scott Vieth http://www.msn.fullfeed.com/~scottv
'68 Camaro RS, 327/PG
'97 Dakota Sport 4x4 Club Cab, Magnum V8/5-spd, Gibson cat-back, FIPK-clone

 



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