Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com - View Single Post - Amy Williams's gold medal skeleton helmet (with vortex generators)

aerohead · 03-06-2010, 03:49 PM

The VGs make sense to me.If she holds her head steady,the VGs could allow the air to follow a 28-degree tangent angle off the top and sides of the helmet,instead of 22-degrees,reducing the wake and its base-pressure behind the helmet,cutting o0verall profile drag.
There'd be a slight skin-friction penalty due to the VGs,but the form drag reduction would trump it.Clever!
I can already see the 2014 Winter Games,with boat-tailed neck brace/humpbacks between helmet and shoulders.

03-06-2010, 03:49 PM	#18 (permalink)
aerohead Master EcoModder Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Sanger,Texas,U.S.A. Posts: 15,928 Thanks: 24,014 Thanked 7,232 Times in 4,658 Posts	28-vs-22 degrees The VGs make sense to me.If she holds her head steady,the VGs could allow the air to follow a 28-degree tangent angle off the top and sides of the helmet,instead of 22-degrees,reducing the wake and its base-pressure behind the helmet,cutting o0verall profile drag. There'd be a slight skin-friction penalty due to the VGs,but the form drag reduction would trump it.Clever! I can already see the 2014 Winter Games,with boat-tailed neck brace/humpbacks between helmet and shoulders.