Spinning Flight

Ralph D. Lorenz

ISBN 10: 1441921532 / ISBN 13: 9781441921536

Published by Springer New York, 2010

About this Item

Dieser Artikel ist ein Print on Demand Artikel und wird nach Ihrer Bestellung fuer Sie gedruckt. No other book gives a detailed technical discussion of these topicsThere are a few books which discuss items like Boomerangs and Frisbees individuallyThe book includes not only the latest published results but also describes authors own ex.

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: Spinning Flight
• Publisher: Springer New York
• Publication Date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1441921532
• ISBN 13: 9781441921536
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

More frisbees are sold each year than baseballs, basketballs and footballs combined. Yet these familiar flying objects have subtle and clever aerodynamic and gyrodynamic properties which are only recently being documented by wind tunnel and other studies. In common with other rotating bodies discussed in this readily accessible book, they are typically not treated in textbooks of aeronautics and the literature is scattered in a variety of places. This book develops the theme of disc-wings and spinning aerospace vehicles in parallel. Since many of the examples are recreational, anyone who enjoys these activities will likely find it profitable and enjoyable. In addition to spinning objects of various shapes, several exotic manned aircraft with disc planforms have been proposed and a prototypes built – these include a Nazi ‘secret weapon’ and the De Havilland Avrocar, also discussed in the book. Boomerangs represent another category of spinning aerodynamic body whose behavior can only be understood by coupling aerodynamics with gyrodynamics. The narrative, supported by equations and graphs, explains how the shape and throw of a boomerang relates to its trajectory. The natural world presents still other examples, namely the samaras or ‘seed-wings’ of many tree species, which autorotate during their descent, like a helicopter whose engine has failed. The flight performance of these spinning wings directly affects the dispersal and thus the evolutionary competitiveness of the trees concerned. Samara-type configurations are also considered for instrumentation and other payload dispersal applications. In short, the book discusses a range of familiar, connected, but largely undeveloped, topics in an accessible, but complete, manner.

 

From the reviews of the first edition:

"In his fascinating book Spinning Flight, Ralph Lorenz provides a rich feast of … examples of spinning bodies … . The book is well organized … . Thediscussion in the book … should be accessible to readers with some elementary understanding of aerodynamic principles. For the expert, the book is full of open problems … . Its scope is extensive … . In this respect, there may be something for everyone within its attractively designed cover … ." (H. K. Moffatt, Nature, Vol. 444, December, 2006)

"If you liked physics at school, then this book is for you. It concerns itself with flying objects that spin through the air, and even tells you how to impress your friends with the biomechanics of Frisbees. … there is plenty of information at all levels, and the book has a wealth of detail that only an aerospace engineer like Lorenz could have come up with." (Len Fisher, BBC Focus, February, 2007)

From the Back Cover

More frisbees are sold each year than baseballs, basketballs, and footballs combined. Yet these familiar flying objects have subtle and clever aerodynamic and gyrodynamic properties which are only recently being documented by wind tunnel and other studies. In common with other rotating bodies discussed in this readily accessible book, they are typically not treated in textbooks of aeronautics and the literature is scattered in a variety of places.

This book develops the theme of disc-wings and spinning aerospace vehicles in parallel. Many readers will have enjoyed these vehicles and their dynamics in recreational settings, so this book will be of wide interest. In addition to spinning objects of various shapes, several exotic manned aircraft with disc platforms have been proposed and prototypes built - these include a Nazi ‘secret weapon’ and the De Havilland Avrocar, also discussed in the book.

Boomerangs represent another category of spinning aerodynamic body whose behavior can only be understood by coupling aerodynamics with gyrodynamics. The narrative, supported by equations and graphs, explains how the shape and throw of a boomerang relates to its trajectory. The natural world presents still other examples, namely the samaras or ‘seed-wings’ of many tree species, which autorotate during their descent, like a helicopter whose engine has failed.

In short, this book discusses a range of familiar, connected, but largely undeveloped, topics in an accessible, but complete manner. ‘Toys’ familiar to all of us are covered as well as high-tech products of the aerospace industry. Spinning Flight includes not only the latest published results but also describes Lorenz’s own experiments with ‘how-to’ instructions on how readers can do their own experiments.