Ever since bootcamp, I have been much more aware of the applications of fluid power that I encounter on a day-to-day basis. How could I not, when half the streets in Urbana-Champaign are currently blocked by inconveniently-placed (but certainly fluid-powered!) construction vehicles?
Jokes aside, I learned earlier this week of one cool application of fluid mechanics that, while not a power application itself, is very related to the work I'm doing at UIUC with surface texturing: golf balls. The dimples on the surface of golf balls serve to reduce friction and improve aerodynamics in the same way we hope our surface textures will improve efficiency in fluid power systems. This is to say that the same technology that enables Bubba Watson to hit so far could be used to better the fuel efficiency of, say, an excavator. Pretty cool to think about!
Of course, it's not quite so simple as that; our textures aren't hemispherical like golf ball dimples and we're looking at the friction between the textured surface with oil, as opposed to air. However, it just goes to show that the same basic concepts that govern fluid power can be found in the places we least expect them. For those interested, here is a cool Mythbusters segment I found where they test "the golf ball effect" on a regular passenger vehicle and find a notable increase in fuel efficiency: http://www.discovery.com/tv-
Hope everyone's work is going well, and Happy World Cup Eve!
Jokes aside, I learned earlier this week of one cool application of fluid mechanics that, while not a power application itself, is very related to the work I'm doing at UIUC with surface texturing: golf balls. The dimples on the surface of golf balls serve to reduce friction and improve aerodynamics in the same way we hope our surface textures will improve efficiency in fluid power systems. This is to say that the same technology that enables Bubba Watson to hit so far could be used to better the fuel efficiency of, say, an excavator. Pretty cool to think about!
Of course, it's not quite so simple as that; our textures aren't hemispherical like golf ball dimples and we're looking at the friction between the textured surface with oil, as opposed to air. However, it just goes to show that the same basic concepts that govern fluid power can be found in the places we least expect them. For those interested, here is a cool Mythbusters segment I found where they test "the golf ball effect" on a regular passenger vehicle and find a notable increase in fuel efficiency: http://www.discovery.com/tv-
Hope everyone's work is going well, and Happy World Cup Eve!
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