I understand the dimples on a golf ball make it go farther, so why aren't there dimples on an airplane wing?

Question

Can anyone explain this?

Answer 1

The answer you've been waiting for:

Since Laminar Flow and Induced drag have been addressed already: I will add my $0.02 about structure and substructure. A golfball and a wing are two different animals.

A wing is a stressed skin design which supports all imposed loads on its skin. Think of an aluminum coke can. You can stand on it slowly and it won't bend, but if it's dimpled even a little bit, you can bend it with one hand. This holds true even for our modern semi-monocoque wings with sub-structures.

Now a golfball is not a stressed skin design. The skin is not responsible for holding the shape of the golfball. This is true because golfballs bend like Beckham's soccer balls when whacked with a kinetic titanium club. I've seen slow-mo videos about it and I don't even consider GOLF a sport.

As Lt. Commander Data would say: "Theoretically it is possible." So theoretically if a wing were made of a solid core of fiberglass or styrofoam or even carbonfiber (like an RC plane) then you could put dimples in it because it's not the skin that's holding it up. But even RC planes are mostly stressed skin designs.

Now if you did have a dimpled wing; what would be the consequences? Well; assuming the dimples are placed on the top surface to speed laminar flow over the top of the wing, you gotta make sure that airplane never goes inverted. If it does, that plane will make a bee-line for the ground like a rock.

OK , so what? So I'll just keep it right side up! OK , but then how're you gonna certify the aircraft with the FAA? What about stall and spin recovery? If you're recovering from a spin, it already takes a coupla thousand feet; but with dimpled wings in a spin or an inverted spin, it's gonna take a lot of altitiude to recover (if at all) . ooooh, I doubt the FAA will certify the aviation equivalent of a dribble-glass! They have really dry wooden senses of humor those dudes...

Answer 2

Cant give a better answer than Cherokee...

We have something called Vortex Generators on some wings just to provide the same effect, i.e. delay the flow seperation (This happens to be the answer to your other question which shows the picture of a wing)

For those who suggested control, I have to differ. The dimples actually affect control. The perfect hit on a golf ball should cause it to spin vertically, creating lift and enhancing range. The slightest mis-hit imparts an angle to this spin, causing the golf ball to veer off its intended trajectory. If it were smooth, this deviation, intended or unintended, would have been minimal.

Smooth balls curve just as well as any, given enough spin. The Ping Pong ball (Table Tennis) is the best example for it. It is known as the Magnus effect.

Answer 3

The golf ball is a round sphere and i is called a bluff body, a complicated object when it comes to aerodynamics.
Ballistics is more the case with a golf ball.
The dimples cause the critical Reynolds number, Recr,(Recr is the Reynolds number at which the flow transitions from a laminar to a turbulent state.)to decrease which implies that the flow becomes turbulent at a lower velocity than on a smooth sphere. This in turn causes the flow to remain attached longer on a dimpled golf ball which implies a reduction in drag. As the speed of the dimpled golf ball is increased, the drag doesn't change much.

Do that to an airfoil, and the drag can prevent it from developing enough lift to sustain flight
( 1/16 of inch of frost on the wings can degrade lift by as much as 60%)

Answer 4

The dimples on a golf ball, are to make it spin in a controlled manner, this allows for hopefully a straight flight path. A smooth ball would be uncontrollable.
Same with the seams on a baseball. A pitcher would not be able to throw a curve or slider with a smooth ball.
A wing needs to maintain smooth airflow to maintain lift. Some wing shapes or just the size of the wing, lead to separation of laminar airflow over the surface. In these areas they place small blades that redirect the airflow and keep it in contact with the wing surface. They are called "Vortex Generators".

Answer 5

because a plane doesn't travel end-over-end like a golf ball. The ball rotates in the air, the dimples transport the air around it into the turbulent air pocket on the back side of the ball, and reduces it, so the ball isn't "sucked backwards" as much by displaced air while moving forward. An airplane requires a smooth surface to slice cleanly thru air, so dimples would CAUSE turbulence, rather than cancel it. Even rivet heads would do that, which is why jet airplanes have welded skin now.

Answer 6

All that is necessary to make flight possible is lift and thrust.
The curve of the wing on top creates lift, and the smooth underside of the wing prevents drag.
The engines or props give thrust.

The golf ball needs the club to give thrust, and the dimples prevent drag and create lift.
(in a round-a-bout way)

Answer 7

It's probably got to do with pressure and release of that pressure. That may causes the golf ball to go further. They don't have them on planes because the wing needs to be aerodynamic and that calls for smooth surfaces. If the wing was pock marked like a golf ball it wouldn't fly as well and be less controllable.

Answer 8

Wing's section (the airfoil) is quite different from the section of a sphere... And sometimes on wings there are vortex generators(small "blades" normal to the surface of the wing, for example look to A-4 wings.... ) that have a similar role, but you can not put vortex generators on a golf ball (they can be broken by the impact, and the ball could not roll)...

Answer 9

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Answer 10

golf balls don't weigh much to start with-also planes have to sustain flight for extended periods of time and the shape of the wing allows it to achieve lift, without that shape, you would just have a giant dead-weight that would be unable to fly, golf balls are projected by the momentum from your golf club and don't need to sustain extended time in the air, and airplane's wing is also very aerodynamic which lets it achieve lift, if the wing had holes in it, it wouldn't be as aerodynamic