An Imaging Approach to Study the Downstream Flow Behavior of a Golf Ball

The study briefs the downstream behavior of flow past a golf ball in a subsonic wind tunnel facility. A traversal mechanism of the object mount combined with an imaging approach has been implemented in order to retrieve pressure variation at various downstream locations of the golf ball. The utilized technique holds the unique advantage of providing a higher number of data points (instantaneous spatial pressure values) using the established wake survey rake survey arrangement in the wind tunnel. The golf ball mounted on a traversal mechanism was traversed at an appropriate velocity. The pressure values at various downstream locations from the ball were recorded by a wake rake system which in turn is connected to a manometer bank. Results indicate that low-pressure zones are more prominent toward the center of the ball in nearby downstream locations, with the intensity fading at far-off locations. Also, a possible flow reversal regime is also observed very near to the ball center plane at the flow condition considered.