Re: [Paddlewise] flow

From: John Winters <735769_at_ican.net>
Date: Wed, 26 May 1999 06:32:44 -0400
Kevin wrote;


>Matt and John are discussing whether water is displaced sideways (Matt's
>idea) or vertically (John's idea).

I think I may not have made myself clear. I said that the flow dives under
the hull and follows the buttuck lines.  As the water dives under the hull
it displaces water to the side. This is established by flow tests in tanks
(not my idea although I wish I had thought of it first). The result
(Admiral Taylor appears to be the first to show a proof) has had  repeated
support in other tanks and tests.

>To them I ask, why one or the other,
>and not a combination of both? My intuition tells me that water is
>displaced normal to the local surface of the hull, and probably in a
>uniformly thick layer.

This sounds so logical that one likes to accept it and I once thought the
same thing (as did a lot of sailsboat designers). How disappointing to
discover that water didn't see things our way. :-(

>Another interesting question is what happens to the displacement direction
>of water at a hard chine?

The chine tends to redirect the flow much as fins or keels etc do.

Nick provides a good example of the effect of flow under the boat. I will
ask Professor Inverbon about the Brit boats.

David wrote;

>I have observed bulbous bows on commercial vessels. I recall reading that
>they are used to increase fuel efficiency. I have wondered what effect one
>might have when used on a kayak. (Other than being an efficient kelp
catcher
>that is.)

Bulbs have positive effects on resistance through wave cancellation. They
only work when the bow is fully immersed and kayaks rarely spend much time
in conditions where the bow can stay immersed. Also, their draft works
against them in this respect.  Followers of Baidarkas will have read
Dyson's comments on this as an explanation for the bifid bows on some
baidarkas. Regrettably, videos show the bow emerging from the water. I say
regrettably because one would like them to work.

Cheers,
John Winters
Redwing Designs
Specialists in Human Powered Watercraft
http://home.ican.net/~735769/






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Received on Wed May 26 1999 - 03:44:34 PDT

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