Quote:
Originally Posted by euromodder
Yet I fail to see how what is essentially a half-teardrop (and even described by the manufacturer as such) would create a vortex powerful enough to have some effect.
The idea behind a VG is to create a serious vortex, hence they are normally not streamlined shapes.
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Simple bumps can work like vortex generators. They don't necessarily have to create a vortex. The main thing they have to do is mix the slower moving boundary layer air with faster air to speed it up. Dimples on a golf ball do the same thing. Vortex generators are commonly used to do it because they can do it with lower drag in most cases. The best way to do the same thing without creating a vortex is a suction slot to suck away the slow boundary layer (but of course this uses energy).
Link to an example of bumps in action
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