Aerodynamic drag can be reduced by many small longitudinal grooves machined in aircraft skin. Experiments show that grooves parallel to airflow reduce drag by 4 to 7 percent. Reduced drag translates into reduced engine power required to overcome drag and ultimately to lower fuel consumption.
Grooves reduce aircraft drag
NASA Tech Briefs ; 5 , 2
1980-09-01
Miscellaneous
No indication
English
Longitudinal grooves for bluff body drag reduction
NTRS | 1981
|Longitudinal grooves for bluff body drag reduction
AIAA | 1981
|Reducing Water/Hull Drag By Injecting Air Into Grooves
NTRS | 1991
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