Aerodynamic Drag Component for Athletic Implements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aerodynamic drag devices for swung athletic implements, such as golf clubs, are bulky and cumbersome, making them difficult to transport and use effectively, and often interfere with the desired swinging motion.
Innovation Solution
A compact aerodynamic drag component with a hollow thin-walled body and strategically designed perforations and concave lips that increase drag during one direction of swing and reduce drag in the opposite direction, allowing for adjustable resistance and improved handling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If a hollow sphere is used to increase aerodynamic drag, then drag resistance is improved, but device size and bulkiness increase making it difficult to transport and handle
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a thin-walled hollow spherical shell structure that provides sufficient aerodynamic drag resistance while maintaining a compact size. The thin-walled design reduces the volume and weight of the device compared to solid or thick-walled structures, making it easier to transport and handle while still capturing enough air to generate the desired drag force during athletic swings.
Solution Approach 2:
The hollow sphere is equipped with uniformly-spaced apertures that function as a porous structure, allowing air to pass into and out of the sphere during athletic implement swings. This porous configuration enables the device to capture sufficient air for generating aerodynamic drag resistance while maintaining a compact form factor that does not interfere with the swinging motion.
2Force
If a large hollow sphere is used to capture enough air for drag, then aerodynamic drag is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to awkward handling and interference with swinging motion
Solution Approach 1:
The thin-walled construction reduces the overall mass and moment of inertia of the drag-inducing device, making it easier to accelerate and decelerate during swings. This improves ease of operation by reducing the energy required to move the device through the swinging motion while maintaining sufficient drag resistance through the apertured design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes the diameter of the hollow sphere and the size, shape, and distribution of the apertures to achieve the desired balance between drag resistance and ease of operation. By carefully selecting these parameters, the device provides sufficient aerodynamic drag without being so large or heavy that it interferes with the natural swinging motion or becomes awkward to handle.
3Force
If uniformly-spaced apertures are added to increase drag, then aerodynamic drag is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The uniformly-spaced apertures create a simple porous structure on the hollow sphere that effectively increases aerodynamic drag resistance. This apertured configuration is relatively simple to manufacture and does not require complex internal mechanisms, maintaining low device complexity while achieving the desired drag enhancement through the interaction of air flow with the perforated surface.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a compact and adjustable aerodynamic drag system that enhances muscular strength and coordination training by varying resistance throughout the swing, improving handling and reducing bulkiness, thus offering a more effective and user-friendly experience.
Implementation Method 1
shaped to scoop air from outside the hollow thin-walled body, through the perforations, and into the hollow thin-walled body to increase aerodynamic drag
Implementation Method 2
the convex sides extending outward from the outer surface and shaped to divert air outside the hollow thin-walled body away from the perforations, to reduce airflow into the hollow thin-walled body to reduce aerodynamic drag
Data Source
AI summary
An aerodynamic drag component for removably placing on a swung athletic implement may comprise a hollow thin-walled body having an outer profile with a width less than its height and a plurality of spaced-apart perforations with concave lips shaped to scoop air from outside the hollow thin-walled body, through the perforations, and into the hollow thin-walled body to increase aerodynamic drag in a first direction, and convex surfaces opposite the concave lips that are shaped to divert air outside the hollow thin-walled body away from the perforations, to reduce airflow into the hollow thin-walled body to reduce aerodynamic drag in a second direction opposite the first direction, to provide varying aerodynamic drag resistance during a swing. The aerodynamic drag component may freely rotate or freely translate or both on a longitudinally-extending portion of the swung athletic implement. Multiple aerodynamic drag components may be used at once.