Does anyone know if a car company has tried dimpling the surface of a car to reduce drag due to air?
The dimpling a golf ball is known to reduce air friction, causing turbulence as the ball travels through the air. As a result, ball will go farther in a certain amount of energy transferred from the club head. An automobile company has tried this same technique on the surface of of a vehicle to reduce air resistance when traveling at highway speeds? Air resistance for ~ 40% friction losses in a sedan passengers at 60 mph. This could reduce dimpling and improve the economy?
I read that also in the following article. I guess would reduce the air drag, but probably not as much as improvements due to the shape and drag … or drag caused by any form or shape of the car. http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/104752/Slow-Down-a-Lttle-Save-a-Lot-of-Gas A way to think of it. When the golf ball starts moving from rest. There is an air about him that is in contact with the ball, called the boundary layer. The layer starts to move with the ball, but eventually stripped away. The friction is lower when the air rubs against the air, but after the boundary layer is pushed far is the air on the ball … then the turbulent flow begins … and the energy is lost to the creation of turbulent flow around the ball. The dimples keep time this boundary layer and decreases the turbulent flow around the ball … http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golf_ball "Firstly, the dimples delay separation boundary layer of the ball. At the beginning of separation, as seen in a smooth sphere, causes significant wake turbulence, the main cause of resistance. The separation delay caused by the dimples therefore reduces this wake turbulence, and hence the drag. "So Maye reduce drag during acceleration the car but not sure if it is to maintain cruising speed. Boeing has tested the Riblets surfaces to reduce friction of the skin. http://aerodyn.org/Drag/riblets.html They say it could save a lot of gas by driving at 65 mph rather than 75 mph
