Cruising Sailors Forum Archive

YUP again.

I think you'd be better served by at least starting with the simplistic (as possible) "origins of lift" article mentioned previously. Even the famous C J Marchaj for quite some time has referred to Arvel Gentry's work as being the most correct with respect to the fluid dynamics of sails / foils, acting in 'slow flow' etc, etc. and has been doing so since the mid 1970s.

If you mean all the classic but invalid aero diagrams that show the "flow over the top 'speeding up' in comparison to flow across the bottom" .... then YES they have been incorrect since the Wright Brothers found out (and essentially patented) and came very close to identifying viscosity as the PRIME factor of 'lift' - you can serach the Gentry website for more info on why the 'classic description' is so highly incorrect.
Its now been 50 years since with the advent of computers in the 1960s the 'field effect' did become available for actual calculation, etc.

If you mean Suction Peak diagrams; then no, as they are the 'result' of the viscosity effect.

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