Turnover Stability of a Badminton Shuttlecock during Flip Movement

-Comparison between Standard Feather and Synthetic Shuttlecocks

Abstract

The badminton shuttlecock is an airborne projectile with a unique shape. It is known that the shuttlecock has high deceleration characteristics and aerodynamic stability. The purpose of this study is to investigate the aerodynamic stability (turnover stability) of shuttlecocks during the flip phenomenon between feather and synthetic shuttlecock. Wind tunnel experiments were carried out on two kinds of shuttlecocks (feather and synthetic shuttlecocks) to measure the fluid forces, and to analyze the flip phenomenon. The oscillating period during the flip movement for the feather shuttlecock was found to be shorter than that for the synthetic shuttlecock. As results of the static fluid force measurement, it was found that the pitching moment coefficient near zero-angle-of-attack for feather shuttlecock is larger than that for synthetic shuttlecock. The results indicate that the feather shuttlecock demonstrates high stability in response to the flip phenomenon.