The
technology
behind the heXxgolf ball
The key to the heXxgolf
success is achieving the right aerodynamic balance between
smooth air flow and reduced drag. The heXxgolf
design is created to reduce drag at takeoff and increase
lift at the end of the ball's flight, hence ending up
with a “longer ball”. Former Boeing engineer
and golf fan Steve Ogg has said, "the design of a
golf ball is a balance between minimizing drag at high
speed and maximizing lift at low speeds”, and this
was the objective of the heXxgolf
design team.
The difference in the flow around a smooth
sphere and a rough, or dimpled, sphere can be seen in
the diagrams. Since the laminar boundary layer around
the smooth sphere separates so rapidly, it creates a very
large wake over the entire rear face. This large wake
maximizes the region of low pressure and, therefore, results
in the maximum difference in pressure between the front
and rear faces. As we have seen, this difference creates
a large drag.
By adding texture to the surface we can
turn laminar boundary flow to turbulent flow which trips
the transition point and thus reduces the turbulent wake
and allows more forward momentum. heXxgolf
strikes a new and very special balance between reduced
drag and a smooth air flow to get your ball closer to
the pin. Many balls claim to have perfected this balance
- we beleive we have the optimum solution - try heXxgolf
and see.
When you place a ball on the tee and strike
it with your club you have microseconds to control it,
hexxgolf increases this time due to its unique balance
of properties. The ball design, inspired by history and
perfected by science maximizes the surface area contacting
your club and when the ball ultimately rolls onto the
green, its smooth surface keeps true and straight, reducing
the effect of inconsistencies in terrain.
References:
Leonardo - The First Scientist, Michael White, Abacus
Perfect Symmetry, Jim Baggott, Oxford
Shapes, Space and Symmetry, Alan
Holden, Dover
Platonic and Archimedean Solids, Dawud Abu-Asiya, Wooden
Books, 1998.
C B Daish 1972 The Physics of Ball Games. The English
University Press, London
S J Haake (ed) 1996 The Engineering of Sport. A A Balkema,
Rotterdam
R D Mehta 1985 Aerodynamics of sports balls Ann. Rev.
Fluid Mech. 17 151-189
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History
and the heXxgolf ball
The heXxgolf ball has a history
that dates back for centuries along with some very famous
supporters.
As
far back as ancient Greece there were philosophers and
scientists studying the Truncated Icosahedron as a shape,
these included Plato, Euclid and Pythagoras. Plato discussed
the importance of the Isohedron in his Theory of Everything
as one of the five Platonic shapes that constitute the
only perfectly symmetrical arrangements of points.
The
great Leonardo Da Vinci, artist, inventor and scientist
was driven by insatiable curiosity and an intuitive sense
of the laws of nature. Da Vinci termed the phrase “divine
proportion” while studying the geometry of the Truncated
Icosahedron and the Platonic shapes.
Even
Sir Isaac Newton spoke of the Platonic shapes and their
“perfect exactness” in his Principia.
In
more recent times the most widespread game of Football
(Soccer) has used a ball based upon the Truncated Icosahedron
form.
Throughout
the 20th century and into the 21st there has been intensive
research into the golf ball with many studies andresearch
projects undertaken, all with the aim of discovering the
secret to a longer ball.
The
magic of the Truncated Icosahedron shape led us to explore
the advantages of this pure form as the basis of a golf
ball. |
