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The Physics
The Magnus Effect is a physical phenomenon that causes an object rotating in a stream of liquid or gas to move in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the stream. How does it work?
The round object rotates clockwise as shown by the two arrows. It floats in a stream of liquid or gas either the fluid flows in the direction indicated by the arrows on the right side of the picture, or the object itself moves in the opposite direction (or a combination of both cases). As for the effect, both situations are equal. The relative velocity of this movement is marked V. The surface of the spinning object drives the fluid along, thus influencing the velocity of the fluid flowing around it. The flow velocity and tip velocity of the spinning object combine: they add where they go in the same direction and subtract where their directions are opposite. This means that the relative velocity of the fluid flow on the opposite sides of the object is different as well as the fluid pressure associated with it: the higher the velocity, the lower the pressure. The difference in pressure on the opposite sides of the object causes a force moving from the higher pressure area to the lower pressure area. This force is marked F in the picture with an arrow showing its direction. It causes the perpendicular movement of the object, thus for example changing the original trajectory of a ball flying through the air as shown below.
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The ball rotation and original direction, the relative air flow velocity as well as the direction of resulting force action are indicated by arrows. The air is not, in fact, moving but the movement of the ball causes relative air flow in the direction opposite to the ball movement. So what happens? Instead of moving directly to the point you aim it to, the direction of the ball is deflected by the Magnus Effect to the same side as the direction in which the ball spins. This can be a great disadvantage for an unpractised player. However, if you understand it, it can explain some famous sports mysteries like the well known goal from a direct kick of Roberto Carlos. Roberto Carlos da Silva Rocha, a Brazilian football player known for his hard shots is the author of a famous goal from July 1997. During a match between Brasil and France which took place in Lyon, Roberto standing 35 m from the goal hit the ball with the outer part of his foot, thus making it circle a wall of three players, hit a goalpost and end in the goal of a very surprised French goalkeeper. Some of the eyewitnesses still probably consider it random chance against the laws of physics. This effect is especially well observed in table-tennis, where the ball is small and very light. The surface of a racket is made of rubber specifically to enable experienced players to send the ball spinning and take advantage of the Magnus Effect.
The combination of the rotation of a golf ball around its vertical axis and the Magnus Effect causing a horizontal force causes the same sideways movement, here known as slice or hook. In combination with so-called back-spin (when the ball rotates around its horizontal axis as if it wanted to roll back to the point it has left) the Magnus Effect helps the ball to stay airborne a little longer as the force caused by the air-pressure difference counteracts gravity.
This means that it always experiences some sideways wind component regardless of other conditions and together with its rotation it becomes subject to the Magnus Effect. It can cause an observable deflection in the bullets path added to the deflection caused by external conditions. However, the Magnus Effect in external ballistic does not have to be necessarily a disadvantage. In airsoft, players are encouraged to use the so-called Hop-up mechanism in order to lengthen the projectiles fight. As the projectiles they use are in the shape of a ball, they do not have to trouble themselves with the cone-shaped movement of a standard bullet. They use the Hop-up mechanism to add the back-spin mentioned above to the projectile and reduce the effect of gravity via the Magnus Effect.
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Engineering
applied for a German patent for a rotor-driven ship in 1922. The ship was finished in 1924 and set out on its first voyage in February 1925. In 1926, the ship, now renamed Baden-Baden, sailed to New York via South America in 40 days. It performed flawlessly even in stormy weather and was able to sail into the wind, or tack, at 20-30 degrees, while ships equipped with standard sails could tack at 45 degrees at most. However, there was a major disadvantage: the ship needed more energy to rotate its rotor-sails than a propeller-driven ship would need for its propulsion. In spite of this fact, the idea has not been forgotten and rotor ships are still built these days. The German University of Flensburg is developing a rotor-driven catamaran, the German wind-turbine producer Enercon have built E-Ship 1 which they want to use to transport wind-turbines and equipment around the world.
Eship 1
Discovery Project Earth Discovery Project Earth is a project supported by the Discovery Channel that introduces means of fighting global warming. In these terms, Stephen H. Salter, Emeritus Professor of Engineering Design at the University of Edinburgh, and John Latham, an atmospheric physicist based at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, built a prototype of a robotic rotor-ship that was able to spray sea-water into the air in order to enhance cloud reflectivity. The rotors were made of carbon fibre and attached to a trimaran which they were able to pilot steadily at a speed of six knots (more than 11 km per hour). The efficiency of the propulsion was not mentioned, however, the ship was able to run, emissions free, and complete its task according to the scope of the project. Still, one question remains: as I could not find out what exactly was this emission-free drive, the amount of emissions let into the atmosphere to produce this environmentally friendly propulsion is yet to be compared with its benefits.
Inspired by his rotor ships, Anton Flettner decided to build an airplane that had no wings at all and relied solely on the Magnus Effect to lift it into the air. The 921-V shown in the picture, the first or one of the first prototypes was built in 1930. It is said to have flown at least once, though not for long. Its short career ended with a crash landing. It is probably the only aircraft with rotor-wing that ever made it into the air. However, the concept does have some potential: when Ludwig Prandtl, a German scientist of the time, experimented with rotating cylinders in a wind tunnel, he found out that they can create up to ten times more lift than standard wings.
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It is a balloon filled with helium tethered to the ground. Its cloth blades allow it to turn in the wind about its horizontal axis, thus generating electrical energy that can be used directly or stored in batteries. One of its greatest advantages is its ability to work at heights much greater than those of conventional turbines. This is a result of helium and the Magnus effect, which also adds extra stability to its position.
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Sources
http://cs.wikipedia.org http://en.wikipedia.org http://sk.wikipedia.org http://dsc.discovery.com http://tech-wiki.webnode.sk http://tripatlas.com http://vat.pravda.sk http://www.icar-101.com http://www.infovek.sk http://www.magenn.com/ http://www.nennstiel-ruprecht.de http://www.physicsforums.com http://www.pilotfriend.com Vladimr Schwarcz Teria streby (2000) fyzika.utc.sk, text published by RNDr. Jozef KDELK, PhD.