Observing and Simulating Effects of Spin on Drag for a Soccer Ball
By Kaleb
The proposed research aims to simulate the experimentally observed drag and lift of a soccer ball in a simplified 2D CFD. The simulation will account for the specific stitching of the soccer ball. To experimentally find the drag coefficient, I plan to conduct a drop test, observing terminal velocity, and using that to calculate drag. To experimentally find lift, I will launch the ball with spin to observe the magnus effect, allowing me to model lift as a function of spin. I hope to be able to model different stitchings using OpenFOAM to produce accurate recreations of experimental results, as well as to simulate more complex motions in the future.