Riblets for Stars and Stripes
Originally published in 1987
Body
Stars and Stripes racing yacht brought the American's Cup back to the United States. Originating from NASA's drag reduction technology, the boats secret weapon" was that the hull's underside was coated with riblets. Riblets are small barely visible grooves on the surface of an airplane intended to reduce skin friction by smoothing the turbulent airflow next to the skin. Grooves are V-shaped with the angle pointing in the direction of the airflow. No deeper than a scratch they have a pronounced beneficial influence on air turbulence. *No longer commercially available."
Full article: http://hdl.handle.net/hdl:2060/20020087761
Abstract
Stars and Stripes racing yacht brought the American's Cup back to the United States. Originating from NASA's drag reduction technology, the boats secret weapon" was that the hull's underside was coated with riblets. Riblets are small barely visible grooves on the surface of an airplane intended to reduce skin friction by smoothing the turbulent airflow next to the skin. Grooves are V-shaped with the angle pointing in the direction of the airflow. No deeper than a scratch they have a pronounced beneficial influence on air turbulence. *No longer commercially available."
Riblets for Stars and Stripes
Riblets for Stars and Stripes
