Optimizing a Tail for Low Drag: Part 4
Curvature Now that I know from my first round of testing which panel orientations have attached flow, how the pressure behaves with changes in angle, and a rough prediction of pressure drag reductions from all that information, I’ll move on to a larger test buck that will start to approximate a full tail. This buck is almost as long as my maximum length requirement and, rather than a flat panel like my first board approximations , has some curvature in it. Specifically, the extension here bends from an angle of about 20° from horizontal at its front to 23° at its trailing edge, in between the shallowest and middle angles I tuft- and pressure-tested: “Conventional wisdom” says to bend the tail in a convex curve like this for lowest drag. But is that “wisdom” correct? Only testing will answer that. I’ll test this buck in this configuration as well as with an added spoiler that, when affixed to the tail, is horizontal: More fun with the miter saw. All in, I’m still sitting at $0 inve...