| The importance of sports engineering has increased in the past decade as the demand for athletes and their equipment has increased. Similarly, the aerodynamics of blunt bodies such as prolate spheroids is of particular interest to aerodynamicists seeking to reduce drag. A system was developed to measure aerodynamic forces on rugby balls. The rugby balls, which varied in size and surface textures, were tested at multiple angles of attack, rotational rates, and wind tunnel velocities. A force balance utilizing load cells in conjunction with a subsonic wind tunnel was used to obtain lift and drag forces. A detailed description of the complete test apparatus is given including methods of mounting, rotation, calibration and tare measurements. Several methods of data acquisition were investigated and the final method is outlined. The results for two balls are given along with the variation in data from repeated testing. Both the force data trends and a few interesting phenomena are discussed. |
