Visualizing the Seam-Shifted Wake: Flow Field Imaging of Spinning Baseballs
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| Publicado en: | ProQuest Dissertations and Theses (2025) |
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| Acceso en línea: | Citation/Abstract Full Text - PDF |
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| Resumen: | The aerodynamics of a baseball are typically modeled as flow past a sphere with a Magnus effect lift contribution due to spin. However, recent research has proposed the existence of a “Seam-Shifted Wake” (SSW), a phenomenon in which certain seam orientations alter boundary layer separation and consequently the wake structure and trajectory of the ball. The current study investigates the SSW effect using a 3D-printed baseball mounted on a custom apparatus in UCLA’s wind tunnel, allowing precise control over seam orientation, spin rate, and flow speed. Thousands of images were collected, capturing smoke-traced flow fields across a range of spin rates, seam orientations, and freestream velocities. In these images, flow features such as boundary layer separation, wake orientation, and seam location are clearly visible. Postprocessing of these images in MATLAB has revealed a dependency of the separation point on seam orientation. While further research is necessary to quantify forces from the SSW phenomenon, these findings offer experimental support for the existence of the SSW and highlight its potential as a mechanism for improving pitch manipulation at the highest levels of baseball. |
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| ISBN: | 9798293831609 |
| Fuente: | ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global |