抄録
A shuttlecock, which used in the sport of badminton, has the smallest ballistic coefficient and exhibits the largest in-flight deceleration of any airborne sporting implement. The shape of the shuttlecock makes itself extremely aerodynamically stable. In the present study, in order to understand the aerodynamic characteristics of a shuttlecock, measurements of drag coefficient were carried out in a wind tunnel. Furthermore, flow visualization technique was also used to aid in understanding the relationship between fluid forces and the vortex behavior. The drag force of shuttlecocks is not significantly affected by the rotation (spin) rate and primarily related to the flow passing through the gap in the shuttlecock skirt in low Reynolds number. The drag coefficient for the shuttlecock with no gap becomes smaller in contrast to that for the ordinary shuttlecock, and therefore the drag is affected by the flow passing through the gap in the shuttle skirt.
