Laminar flow - GIFs

**Jon** · May 2, 2019, 04:15 PM

Laminar flow. This is somewhat of an internet trend now, similar to physics display GIFs; I can't complain.

More: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laminar_flow

**Toolmaker51** · May 3, 2019, 08:45 PM

Tony Foale's watching this; life inside the ports of carbureted induction racing motors. Some intake tracts like roughly sanded linear toolmarks, others that are short go with a mirror polish. Its all about keeping the fuel in suspension of the air, not wetting the intake walls. Another mystery solved and coerced into producing engine power by Mr. J. Branch, ExtrudeHone and many others.

**JoeVanGeaux** · May 4, 2019, 11:08 AM

Nerdly mesmerizing!

Thanks for sharing.

**Jon** · Sep 3, 2020, 04:40 PM

**hemmjo** · Dec 8, 2021, 03:07 AM

When much younger I used to race Hobie 16 sail boats. When I first started I thought I would give my new boat a nice wax job before the race. WOW what a different that made. It was SO SLOW with that slick smooth finish. By the next weekend, I had wet sanded the hulls. It was so much quicker that way. By the next race I gave the rudders the same treatment. That made it so much more responsive.

Look out the window next time you fly, notice the different textures on the wings, from smooth and shiny to a course finish like "non-slip" tape. Its not there to keep people from slipping on the wing.

**Toolmaker51** · Dec 12, 2021, 12:15 AM

That laminar flow concept applies to a large number of situations. I'm sure Jerry Branch of Branch Flowmetrics [spearhead of dynamic porting to intake and exhaust ports of performance engines] had a sixth sense in relation to making fuel-air mixtures run without wetting the surfaces. A great rabbit hole for those interested, a guy, self taught btw, who created an entire industry. This extends beyond the process itself, advanced tooling, along with instrumentation to monitor change right at the bench.

Read back a bit, seeing I'd posted earlier, and connected Mr. Branch to this. Never met him but sure studied his work. Not particularly effective on mild street engines of the 70's, but if you were looking for a little more, that was the place to start. Porting alters volumetric efficiency, while port matching is just good physics. The term matching is a little misleading, pattern conformity is better. certain cases proved a narrow edge beneficial, compared to an uninterrupted tract.