Scott Lurndal wrote:

"Todd Fatheree" writes:
And to make it even more confusing, it is sometimes better to induce a
turbulent boundary layer to get better flow than something that is
strictly laminar.

Like Professor Fish's work with humpback[*] flippers. The nobs on the
leading edge perform much better than the typical smooth leading edges on
modern
aircraft wings. Expect to see knobby wings on future aircraft :-)

Don't. It's called a "turbulator" and it works fine in low reynolds number
flows. Put them on high speed aircraft and they create all manner of
chaos. Been tried, repeatedly, in various forms. A whale is not an
airplane.

[*]

http://www.sciamdigital.com/browse.cfm?sequencenameCHAR=item2&methodnameCHAR=r esource_getitembrowse&interfacenameCHAR=browse.cfm &ISSUEID_CHAR=A4AD4ADB-2B35-221B-699D1485A73879AA&ARTICLEID_CHAR=A4B65445-2B35-221B-655AE8D9744434BC&sc=I100322

--
--John
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(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)