Surface Finish and Drag: British and American Investigations into the Effect of Discontinuities

Abstract

WE are fortunate in being able to publish two papers in this issue, dealing with the effects of surface roughness from the British and American points of view respectively. We had, in fact, already arranged with MR. Young to contribute his article on the subject, when we received an advance copy of MR. MANLEY HOOD'S S.A.E. lecture. On learning that this was only being published in summarized form in the Journal of the Society of Automotive Engineers, we asked the Society's permission to publish it in full in AIRCRAFT ENGINEERING. We are most grateful to the Society for so readily agreeing to this, as the two papers are to a considerable extent complementary to each other, and we feel that it will be valuable to have them both on record in the same issue of this journal. They have an interest, apart from the intrinsic merit of dealing with a subject which is very much to the fore at present, in that they so well typify the difference between the two countries in their approach to a subject. The British article, as might be expected, gives a general survey of the researches which have led up to our present state of knowledge and continues to deal with it in what may, for want of a better term, be described as a “ scientific ” manner, giving general rules for application to particular cases. This latter portion of the article covers much the same ground as the American paper, but in rather a different style. MR. MANLEY HOOD'S lecture is more concerned with quantitative data obtained from ad hoc investigations by the N.A.C.A. into the effect of rivets and similar causes of surface roughness. The two taken in conjunction give to the designer all the information that research has as yet been able to obtain on the matter, and should be extremely interesting and valuable to all concerned.

Citation

(1939), "Surface Finish and Drag: British and American Investigations into the Effect of Discontinuities", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 11 No. 9, pp. 337-338. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb030536