Shuttlecock aerodynamics.

Badminton is as popular as lawn tennis (when ‘popular’ is defined by the number of adults who play the game). Indeed, the origin of the game, played with a feather shuttlecock, in the mid-19th century is said to predate lawn tennis. The invention of the cheaper, more durable synthetic shuttlecock in the 1950s gave the game a wider appeal. Yet, manufacturers have still to produce a synthetic shuttlecock that exactly mirrors the flight of the feather shuttlecock during the game of badminton, a goal they have striving to reach for over 40 years. This paper describes experiments which were devised to understand the flow regime around a shuttlecock and to accurately determine a data set of aerodynamic coefficients for selected feather and synthetic shuttlecocks. The drag, lift and pitching moment coefficients were measured for a range of Reynolds Numbers (based on maximum skirt diameter) selected to cover most velocities reached in a badminton game; 13 000 < Re < 190 000 (3 to 44 m s[sup –1]). The results form part of a wider programme of research which examined the differences between feather and synthetic shuttlecocks and ultimately led to a new product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]