Quote:
Originally Posted by IsaacMTSU
I just read about aerodynamic paint in National Geographic magazine (either Jan or Feb 2012 I can't remember). It was basically saying the same things about drag, but that in aircraft around 40% of the total drag in from skin friction alone. Most sources, that I've seen, say 30-50% and over 50% on supersonic planes. With the lower speeds we are working with, form drag becomes a bigger component. I would say surface drag still makes up a good portion, specifically at highway speeds 55+ MPH. I can't find the article, but this link talks about the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany and their aerodynamic paint based on a sharks skin. They estimate the paint can reduce skin friction drag by 4-7%. NOTE: The talk about laminar flow and turbulence is confusing, just know they are talking about making the whole flow laminar by making the boundary layer turbulent... |
If you'll take the hit and invest in one if Hucho's books,you'll find all the equations you'd need to calculate hard numbers,as surface friction drag.The science should convince you that there's nothing you can do about it.
If you're under water,then it's a different story.