new drag reducing technology

[pmaltinsky]

Has anyone looked into fast skinz? It is a wrap that goes on your vehicle that uses the same drag reducing theory of a golf ball. I just saw it in a Popular Science Magazine and though it looked interesting.

MPG-Plus™, Drag Reducing Technology, Improve MPG, Vehicle Wraps, FastSkinz™

[SVOboy]

It actually isnt the same theory as a golf ball, which is why it wont work. However, they would like you to believe it worked on the same principles,

[theycallmeebryan]

sniff snifff.....

smells like a rotten can of SPAM.

(1 post).... just like the other thread that was started about this stuff.

[alohaspirit]

i remember reading a thread about this here back when i was lurking

no-go

[robchalmers]

Have you guys heard of sharkskin? its a wrap you put at boudary separation radius and it premature layer seperation and thus reduces drag.... now if only i could find a link

[Bicycle Bob]

"Sharkskin" uses micro-grooves parallel to the flow to reduce boundary layer turbulence. It was outlawed in rowing competition, but I've never heard of an automotive trial.

[Cd]

Hey guys, I have to apologize for posting about an article in Popular Science magazine that touted the virtues of vertical windmills.
I thought that since this is a magazine that has been around for over a hundred years, it had some credibility.

All they ever seem to offer are empty promises and vaporware.

Guess what is is the latest issue on page 37 ... Ta Da !
Entitled " Planet Fixers", there is a write up on 'driveable golf balls' SkinzWraps !!!, which it touts as increasing FE up to '20% '. !!!

Wow ! ( And i thought it was the same magazine that just busted the claim !! )

[robchalmers]

I was talking to the BAR Hond F1 Chief aero bloke a few years ago, William Teot, and they said it worked in areas but the were some reason or other they chose not to use it....?? strange anyway I know Airbus use it!

[cfg83]

robchalmers -

Originally Posted by robchalmers

Have you guys heard of sharkskin? its a wrap you put at boudary separation radius and it premature layer seperation and thus reduces drag.... now if only i could find a link

I googled "sharkskin aerodynamic" and found these :

The Shark Coating - A technology imitating the "riblet effect" from shark skin - Softpedia - 16th of December 2006

Have you ever touched shark skin? It is very abrasive, like sand paper.
This is due to a special type of scales, called placoid ("slate-like"), very similar structurally to teeth and carrying tiny ridge-like structures. The tiny ridges arranged parallel to the swimming direction - known as "riblets" - decrease drag in water, explaining the amazing speed that some sharks reach with minimal effort.

Shark Skin Research Could Reduce Airplane Drag By 30 Percent - December 5, 2007

It may seem obvious that the surface of an airplane should be as smooth as possible to minimize aerodynamic drag, but that's not really the case. A bit of roughness can break up the boundary layer and improve efficiency. Sharks, with skin formed of rough scales called denticles, can slip through the water at speeds of up to 60 mph with minimal drag. This week, The Lindbergh Foundation awarded a grant to Dr. Amy Lang, at the University of Alabama, to study whether the surface texture on the skin of fast-swimming sharks, capable of bristling their scales when in pursuit of prey, could be mimicked and used to reduce the drag on aircraft. "If we can successfully show there is a significant effect, future applications to reduce drag of aircraft and underwater vehicles could be possible," said Lang. The technology has the potential to increase aerodynamic efficiency up to 30 percent, with savings of billions of dollars and substantial reductions in fuel burn and emissions.

CarloSW2

[anthonye81]

Any claim for a 20% boost in MPG is always going to look dodgy!

For years aircraft have had micro-drilled holes in wing surfaces, which (if I remember correctly) create tiny pockets of low pressure when an airflow moves over the wing surface. The low pressure helps keep the airflow attached to the wing surface, albeit for the purposes of generating lift rather than reducing drag, but hey I guess it can work both ways. Fans of The Simpsons may remember Homer pickaxe'ing "speed holes" into his car, although they were slightly bigger than a fraction of a millimetre...

Any aero experts out there feel free to point out the bits I got wrong!