PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Dimpled Skin, Lower Drag??
View Single Post
Old 12th Feb 2010, 22:32
  #12 (permalink)  
fly_antonov
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Bulgaria
Posts: 163
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I' d like to add a few potential reasons:

A. The big difference between jet aircraft compared to cars and golf balls is the speed they travel at.
I believe that a dimpled airplane would help formation of shockwaves and sensibly reduce critical mach, increase shockwave-induced drag at high Machs.

B. The manufacturing could become a true cost nightmare.

C. From a maintenance point of view, it would be a nightmare to discern surface damage on a dimpled surface.

D. The dimples would require a sensible addition of material, hence more weight.

E. The dimples could become a hiding place for dirt, hence increase drag.

My 2 cents.
fly_antonov is offline