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A Fundamental Principle of Aeronautical Engineering Has Been Overturned

tohoku.ac.jp

1–10 of 22 posts

Re: A Fundamental Principle of Aeronautical Engineering Has Been Overturned

#9

43% less friction means 43% of fuel saved. Am I reading that right because it will change the world if true.

Not quite.

- The 43% is peak drag reduction in the transition zone only, the bit between laminar and turbulent flow, not across all flight conditions.

- Aerodynamic drag is one part of fuel burn, not a 1:1 proxy. There's also engine efficiency, etc.

- This is skin friction drag on a wind tunnel model, not a full aircraft which has extra bits like windscreen wipers.

I still think it's exciting but I reckon fuel savings would amount to a few percent (aeronautical engineers, please correct me if I'm wrong).

Re: A Fundamental Principle of Aeronautical Engineering Has Been Overturned

#10
post #8

Are we just expected to understand Japanese ? There's no English version

Its 2026.

Your browser can probably provide a reasonable translation on demand from a nearby service. FF on Linux does, so surely whatever you are rocking can manage it too.

There are lots more options.

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