shapes (was Re: Galileo Day)

Tim Bates (tbates@karri.bhs.mq.edu.au)
Wed, 17 Feb 1999 18:35:37 +1100

EvMick@aol.com said
>An "ogiveal" shape is optimized for rapid
>transit thru a fluid medium.. That's why the nose of a large (subsonic)
>aircraft , or sub,..is shaped similarly to that of a bomb...or raindrop.

When my uncle built a series of windmill-powered yachts, he did quite a bit of research into efficient blades: it was fascinating. The best shape turned out to be a stretched out egg: big fat radius at the hub feathering out to a thin tip on this 12m diameter propellor. Then under the water things changed again, dropping down into this very different set of Reynold's numbers. You should have seen the kevlar-sail racing set when we drove up the harbour straight into the wind ;-)

best,
tim



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