The importance of the Coanda effect in motorsport and aviation

the Coanda effect is one of the keys of modern aerodynamics. Essential for aircraft flight or road vehicle development.

Imagine that stands before a lighted candle. If blowing slightly, the candle flame will go out. Obviously not? Now perform the same exercise by placing a box-of a reasonable size between sail and you. As logic leads us to believe, the air is dispersed to both sides upon impact with the surface of the box and can not get to blow out the candle.

If you use a bottle of wine instead of a box, the result is the same? Simple logic leads us to think so, because air particles disperse on impact with the bottle and will fail to extinguish the candle . The reality, somewhat surprisingly, is completely different. In this situation, the candle itself off, and the explanation is due to known as the “Coanda Effect”.

The Coanda effect explains the curvature of the fluids in contact with a solid body

Very briefly, the Coanda effect is a series of events that describe the behavior of a fluid upon impact with a surface . This principle holds that all fluids tend to be “attracted” by other nearby surfaces instead of bouncing or swerve, as would happen with a solid –

In other words:. if we make the above experiment , the air (fluid) tends to follow the curved path of the bottle and therefore to extinguish the candle just behind. Instead, if we throw a tennis ball (solid), this simply see their trajectory altered, but not parallel to the contour of the bottle

How does this effect occur? In simple terms, the main agent of this effect is fluid viscosity . When this hits first with a body curved and smooth contour, fluid viscosity causes the particles to become temporarily attached to the surface of the solid body, creating a uniform and parallel to the contour of like body sheet if plasticine it were -. Successive particles that hit later with the body generate new parallel to the initial layers, resulting in a progressive deviation of the fluid path.

This effect, seemingly invisible, is used daily in the aviation and motorsports . The F1 cars, for example, are characterized by a body full of soft curves and especially uniforms in the area of ​​its lateral pontoons, using the Coanda effect, allow channel as much air as possible to areas identified as the flat bottom, broadcasters or spoilers which directly affect the grip or tip speed -.

the Coanda effect is an essential pillar in fields such as motor racing and aviation

the same is true in aircraft. In the wings, the air path undergoes a slight curvature which, together with the depression (associated with the Bernoulli principle href=”http://hipertextual.com/2015/11/efecto-suelo”> ) and the third law of Newton, generates a diagram of forces holding the plane in the air simply movement.

the Coanda effect is, therefore, one of the pillars of modern aerodynamics . And is that the ability to redirect air flow-and any other fluid-enables engineers to design more efficient means of transportation, insurance, and above all, fast

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