I was wondering what the opinions are out there regarding the penalties for having sharp corners on the edges of your fuselage as opposed to rounded.
Take for example a Zodiac with its sharp lower edges as opposed to the rounded contours of an RV - do these edges constitute a major drag penalty on a, say a 100 mph airplane? What about a 150 mph airplane? Logic says yes, but I wonder if the difference is really measurable. Little specific info out there regarding this and it makes quite a difference in terms of ease of construction.
Also, I read two accounts by people who claim to have some knowledge of aerodynamics who say that sharp corners have a: a beneficial effect on yaw stability and b: an adverse effect of yaw stability. Not very helpful.
Take for example a Zodiac with its sharp lower edges as opposed to the rounded contours of an RV - do these edges constitute a major drag penalty on a, say a 100 mph airplane? What about a 150 mph airplane? Logic says yes, but I wonder if the difference is really measurable. Little specific info out there regarding this and it makes quite a difference in terms of ease of construction.
Also, I read two accounts by people who claim to have some knowledge of aerodynamics who say that sharp corners have a: a beneficial effect on yaw stability and b: an adverse effect of yaw stability. Not very helpful.
