Re: [Paddlewise] What really is a high aspect ration paddle?

From: merijn wijnen <merijn_at_music.demon.nl>
Date: Mon, 21 May 2001 18:20:03 +0200
Actually,

i think that even a narrow, greenland style paddle needs not to have 
a high aspect ratio. 
The notion of aspect ratio only makes sense if the paddle is used in 
a wing-like way. If you pull the paddle backwards without 
anysideward movement, so the angle of attack is 90degrees, then 
the paddle does not know which dimension is the length and which 
is the width. So the greenlander mignt be an ultra-low aspect ratio 
paddle....
To my feeling most paddles (even greenlanders) are used at high 
angles of attack, so the flow is stalled. Peter is right in most of what 
he says, but I do not think all of his theory is necessarily valid in the 
post-stal region. The behaviour of wings or paddles in the post-stal 
region is rather different from the unstalled behaviour.
A second point is that in comparing greenland paddles and euro 
paddles you have to take into account the airfoil. Greenlanders 
usually have a thick, symmetrical airfoil. These thick airfoils have 
gentle stall characteristics, quite different from the flat plate or hollow 
cambered sections of most euro style paddles. On the other hand a 
high aspect ratio wing (or paddle) does stall at a lower angle of 
attack than a low aspect ratio one.

Is there anybody on the list who volunteers to putt a few woolen tufts 
on his greenland paddle? I really would like to know if greenland 
paddles are used with a stalled flow.

For what it is worth,

Greetings,

Merijn


******************************
Merijn Wijnen
Vinkenhofje 8
5613 CN Eindhoven
The Netherlands
Tel.: 040-2939991          (job: 040-2650539)
Fax:  same as tel., call before sending or try twice
E-mail: Home: merijn_at_music.demon.nl
        Job:  m.wijnen_at_ind.tno.nl
Web-site: http://www.music.demon.nl

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Received on Mon May 21 2001 - 09:22:59 PDT

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