Vanagon EuroVan
Previous messageNext messagePrevious in topicNext in topicPrevious by same authorNext by same authorPrevious page (August 2002, week 4)Back to main VANAGON pageJoin or leave VANAGON (or change settings)ReplyPost a new messageSearchProportional fontNon-proportional font
Date:         Fri, 23 Aug 2002 17:15:30 -0700
Reply-To:     Alistair Bell <albell@UVIC.CA>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Alistair Bell <albell@UVIC.CA>
Subject:      Re: Custom Scoop Update - Should you care!
Comments: To: Clive Smith <clive.harman-smith@ntlworld.com>
In-Reply-To:  <002e01c24afb$9b0a85c0$0d00a8c0@LAGOS>
Content-type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

on 8/23/02 4:20 PM, Clive Smith wrote:

> > I did say, just be aware..... > and I think if you look back through the mails, you'll find it was me that > first suggested tufting!

Maybe you did Clive, but I think I posted something along the same lines (yarn etc) back in 95-96. But what the heck.

> ...and if I spent my time sitting on my duff, I wouldn't know what you > obviously don't: that to a fly, the air's like treacle which is why they can > change direction and accelerate away from your swat quicker than you can > swing it.

I do understand the concept that the Reynolds number serves to measure. And Clive, re-read your fly comments above, you might find an inconsistency or at least an interesting notion.

No I can't resist...air is not like treacle to a fly. If it were when you dropped a dead fly it would take more than a few minutes to hit the floor. Well I know that is not true, seen flies drop, played with treacle.

Or do you mean the fly's wings? I dunno, I guess you know what you mean.

Try instead the interesting world of the microbe (if you have the wit). A bacterium of approx. 2 long and 1 micron in diameter swimming/flagellating through water is approx. like us swimming through warm asphalt. When it stops "swimming" it coast for a very/extremely small fraction of its body length, in essence stops dead immediately.

And why to a Pterordactyl or a hang glider the air appears > somewhat less sticky, and less thick too if you have the wit to imagine > being an airliner at 500 mph and 7 miles up.

Gee, no, can't do that Clive, well out of the range of my feeble wit.

> Thats what Reynolds No is about... Speed x Length /Viscosity - no units. > > and yes, NO relation, unless you run the tunnel at model scaled Re Nos. > and if you want to

Make up your mind, relationship or not?

>> ... at least visualise the flow around the van in a gross way... > > .. find a big smoky fire near a roadside and drive through it while a mate > on the roadside videos it. > ...or drive behind aVanagon thats burning oil or smoking bad (or use a smoke > cannister up front), and watch those Karman vortex wakes - most flat backed > vehicles have a very predictable flow pattern, the important thing is when > the flow suddenly changes its overall character, maybe 20, maybe 60 mph - > that is what Reynolds No determines.

Did I say I wanted to see just vortexes at the rear? Well I guess you know best.

> .. but I won't go on and explain further, as it appears you know what you > know and don't much want to know what you don't.

Thanks again, such a benefit to have you on the list, now I know what I don't want to know.

Alistair (I think, although maybe I don't know...but I do know this thread is dead for me)

> > Clive > '88 Syncro Transporter


Back to: Top of message | Previous page | Main VANAGON page

Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!


Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com


The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.

Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.