Why don't wings have dimples?

This supersonic prop project produced some strange results...

http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question...s/q0031b.shtml

http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/annex/an48.htm

http://www.1000aircraftphotos.com/Postcards/818.htm

JP


kirjoitti
glegroups.com...

Peter Dohm wrote:

...

Well, I already know a lot of the rules of thumb for drag reduction,
especially with laminar flow, and that is my first choice for choosing or
building an airplane.

I am also interested in general aerodynamics, and am somewhat intrigued
by
the issue of dimples. Particularly, grooves and dimples could be quite
interesting as related to propellers. Regrettably, there is a /very/
finite
limit to the percentage of time I can devote to that, so my progress may
be
gradual.


Check with the powered paraglider people. I've been told that
some of their props have a groove running along the crowned
face of the blade.

A prop is just a wing rotating rapidly around the wing root. But the
effective airspeed of a prop appproaches Mach 1, where compressibility
becomes important.

A supersonic prop would be interesting....

--

FF