Rudder Turbulator Strips
John Ferrell
johnferrell at earthlink.net
Thu Apr 17 05:17:10 AKDT 2003
Thinking in public:
As the rudder TE becomes wider the dominate difference is likely drag.
Since drag is a function of velocity there would be little diference in
flight at low velocity.
However you might reach a point where a pattern ship would refuse to snap at
high velocity...
Just speculation.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dean Pappas" <d.pappas at kodeos.com>
To: <discussion at nsrca.org>
Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2003 4:49 PM
Subject: RE: Rudder Turbulator Strips
John, we are on the same page:
Blunt trailing edges make for torsionally stiffer (read that lighter)
ailerons and the like. They also soften the neutrals (and the textbooks say
so).
They also reduce the ultimate CL of an airfoil, unless it is designed to
work with one.
Selig worked up one such for the SAE weight-lifting students who wanted to
stick with non-composite wings. It gives up "almost nothing" to the razor
sharp TEs.
Somehow the hundredth of a mile per hour that is robbed matters to some
people.
Let's face it, the sharp TEs look sexy, and that probably where the rubber
meets the road.
as confused as you are,
Dean
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