Ken Stallings
March 17th, 2010, 19:04
One of my favorite TV shows is Mythbusters. It is a really entertaining show devoted to science.
Tonight, I watched a show where they did a scientific analysis of the effect of dimples (like on a golf ball) applied to the surface of a passenger car. Long story short, using what appears to be very scientific analysis methodology, the group showed an 11% improvement in gas mileage with the dimpled pattern on the car versus the same weight of a smooth application of clay.
In other words, a layer of clay with dimples improved gas mileage 11% versus the smooth clay.
Further, they showed that the smooth clay measurably offered the same gas mileage as the original painted smooth surface. And, they showed that a classic "dirty" car made gas mileage suffer vice the smooth paint.
To conclude:
Dirty car: Worst gas mileage
Clean painted car: Better gas mileage
Smooth clay surface car: Same as clean painted car
Dimpled clay surface car: 11% better gas mileage than clean painted surface car!
The group was flabbergasted! They expected the opposite result. It was amazing to watch them do this!
Could we see this portend revolutionary surfaces for autos, trains, and aircraft?
Ken
Tonight, I watched a show where they did a scientific analysis of the effect of dimples (like on a golf ball) applied to the surface of a passenger car. Long story short, using what appears to be very scientific analysis methodology, the group showed an 11% improvement in gas mileage with the dimpled pattern on the car versus the same weight of a smooth application of clay.
In other words, a layer of clay with dimples improved gas mileage 11% versus the smooth clay.
Further, they showed that the smooth clay measurably offered the same gas mileage as the original painted smooth surface. And, they showed that a classic "dirty" car made gas mileage suffer vice the smooth paint.
To conclude:
Dirty car: Worst gas mileage
Clean painted car: Better gas mileage
Smooth clay surface car: Same as clean painted car
Dimpled clay surface car: 11% better gas mileage than clean painted surface car!
The group was flabbergasted! They expected the opposite result. It was amazing to watch them do this!
Could we see this portend revolutionary surfaces for autos, trains, and aircraft?
Ken