This has been an interesting discussion. We still have the facilities in Swansea to perform computational analysis but I haven’t used them for a while since my Ph.D. We don’t have any surfboard models - we looked at the fins mostly so if anyone would be interested in different toe/cant angles/incident velocities we could still certainly look at those.
Somebody mentioned maximum lift at the negative angles of attack - this was because we tested the fins the opposite way to the conventional.
Dave
Welcome to Swaylock's! If you are the author/one of the authors of the Swansea paper on fins, good job. That was one of the best pieces of research I've seen.
Swansea? Fins?
Are you the guys that did the Fin design or cad program?
I remember trying to make that work, but it didnt for me anyhow, and it looked like development and distribution was dropped.
There is a small need for a Fin Cad program whereby you can email a true fin template to a fin maker, instead of sending a traced outline via snail mail.
i find this thread extremely interesting, i have been off sways for a while due to family and work comittments but i'd like to see where this ends up!
We at 4 ways have been pursuing water flow analysis to prove that adusting your fins will enhance your boards performance for every individual.
Again, and i have mentioned this before in previous threads, what is not taken into account in the theoretical anlaysis of water flows etc... is the individual surfer, who positions their feet differently to each other, with different body positions and weights, creating an new set of criteria when analyzing water flows and the most efficient fin position and foil for each and every surfer.
In the many years i have been involved in surfboards, i have seen a myriad of different surfers experience totally different feelings from one single surfboard that led me to believe that in every good surfboard is a "magic" surfboard, we just need to find the "sweetspot" for each surfer.
yes, i agree, some shapes and finished surfboards will differ but using an adjustable fin system like 4 ways, has broadened my perspective on what makes a surfboard "really go" and the importance of being able to "interpret" each surfers experience on each surfboard to be able to advise them how to maximise their performance on each surfboard...
I don't mean to detract at all from the theoretical perspective, but the thread lends itself to understanding the effects of water flow and it's relative performance on a surfboard, but so much really applies to the surfer riding that surfboard...
i'd appreciate any comments and then i can explain further, if need be..
Regards
Deano
The idea that it is possible to develop a thrust from a shedding flow (as suggested by some in the above posts, and believed in general by a large proportion of the surfing community), in particular with respect to the classic thruster set-up, would have a much wider application than surfboards, e.g. jet-fighters, automobiles, a hat for MikeD, etc… - the list of possible applications is virtually endless.
Cracking that nut would make you famous.
kc
Thanks for including me in the list of applications; not sure where I'd find a use for the hat, though.
Welcome back to your thread. If I understand what you're saying about ''shedding flow'', there's already examples of their re-direction being effective in automobiles. One of the purposes of ''fences'' on wings. No one claims they ''provide thrust'', but they reduce drag by redirecting more flow in opposition of direction of travel.