Abstract
A traditional soccer ball is constructed using 32 pentagonal and hexagonal panels. In recent years, however, the likes of the Teamgeist and Jabulani balls, constructed from 14 and 8 panels, respectively, have entered the field, marking a significant departure from conventionality in terms of shape and design. Moreover, the recently introduced Brazuca ball features a new 6-panel design and has already been adopted by many soccer leagues. However, the shapes of the constituent panels of these balls differ substantially from those of conventional balls. Therefore, this study set out to investigate the flight and aerodynamic characteristics of different orientations of the soccer ball, which is constructed from panels of different shapes. A wind tunnel test showed substantial differences in the aerodynamic forces acting on the ball, depending on its orientation. Substantial differences were also observed in the aerodynamic forces acting on the ball in different directions, corresponding to its orientation and rotation. Moreover, two-dimensional particle image velocimetry (2D-PIV) measurements showed that the boundary separation varies depending on the orientation of the ball. Based on these results, we can conclude that the shape of the panels of a soccer ball substantially affects its flight trajectory.
Highlights
A characteristic of the Cafusa ball is the manner in which the shapes of its panels change significantly depending on the orientation of the ball
This study focused on visualizing the flow over three orientations of the Cafusa ball through the application of two-dimensional particle image velocimetry (2D-PIV)
The graph shows that the critical drag range, which represents a significant change in the drag, is the lowest for face C, followed by faces B and A, in that order
Summary
A characteristic of the Cafusa ball is the manner in which the shapes of its panels change significantly depending on the orientation of the ball (more so than other balls). The goal of our experiment with the Cafusa ball was to examine the effects of the panels (number of panels, interval, etc.). This study focused on visualizing the flow over three orientations (faces) of the Cafusa ball through the application of two-dimensional particle image velocimetry (2D-PIV). We attempted to clarify the effect of the panel shapes, which differ depending on the orientation of the ball, on the ball’s trajectory and the flow of the air around the ball. Based on the observed 2D-PIV results and actual ball trajectories, we clarified how the panel characteristics affect the flight of a soccer ball, which enables the prediction of its trajectory
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