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http://www.ameslab.gov/final/News/2008r ... tings.html
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The Hard Stuff Is Pretty Slick
The Hard Stuff Is Pretty Slick
Engineering is the art of making what you want from what you can get at a profit.
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Damon Hill
- Posts: 15
- Joined: Fri Jul 11, 2008 6:55 am
- Location: Auburn, WA
One component of aerodynamic drag is viscous friction drag.
Aircraft are painted and waxed to reduce viscous friction.
A hard surface is not necessarily a smooth surface. Aircraft skin also flexes under aerodynamic forces so the coating must not fracture when flexed. I don't think the linked article gave enough detailed information to make any kind of judgment as to its applicability to aircraft coatings.
I was thinking about using it to coat the teeth of meshing gears, but of course gears are a specialty all their own.
Aircraft are painted and waxed to reduce viscous friction.
A hard surface is not necessarily a smooth surface. Aircraft skin also flexes under aerodynamic forces so the coating must not fracture when flexed. I don't think the linked article gave enough detailed information to make any kind of judgment as to its applicability to aircraft coatings.
I was thinking about using it to coat the teeth of meshing gears, but of course gears are a specialty all their own.
Aero
It might be of use if it can improve resistance to icing and random dings. Otherwise, I suspect there isn't much advantage, particularly for large aircraft where basically the entire boundary layer is turbulent anyway. It's not like having a super smooth coating relaxes the no-slip condition...
No, coatings like this are more for reducing friction between mechanical parts, and increasing said parts' resistance to abrasion, and such.
No, coatings like this are more for reducing friction between mechanical parts, and increasing said parts' resistance to abrasion, and such.