Seeds dispersal / aerodynamics?

[antigravite]

Hello,


Does anybody know of any recent book / study dealing with or introducing to various types of f"lying" seeds and their respective aerodynamic performances. I could find none. Paul C. Amans did some work (aerodynamic resistance, vegetal aeronautics, propeller shapes) in the early 20th century but one could expect more recent works related to the biomimicry / nano tech revolution going on... I've been looking but really did not find any review article. SO if anybody has an idea...

 

[Antonio]

That's a very interesting topic. Looking for info too.

 

[DSE]

Simple google search over the past year:
https://www.google.com/search?q=aerodynamics+of+seeds+and+pods&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&client=firefox-a#q=aerodynamics+of+seeds+and+pods&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=RKV&tbo=1&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&output=search&source=lnt&tbs=qdr:y&sa=X&ei=zww8UPHEF823qAH9m4DoBA&ved=0CAgQpwUoBQ&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=f0823261d2025598&biw=1206&bih=999

yields,

Aerodynamics of Seed Dispersal by Zhao, Jinguo, Ph.D., NEW YORK UNIVERSITY, 2011, 71 pages; 3486843 Abstract: This thesis reports the computer simulation of flight performance of maple seeds using the penalty immersed boundary method. Single maple seeds make autorotational flight during their fall, which slows their descent. Many experimental tests have been done to elucidate the mechanism of autorotation, but the interaction between the geometrical characteristics of the seeds and their aerodynamic properties is still not fully understood. Here we use a mathematically defined family of models of winged maple seeds to simulate their flight during descent after detaching from the tree. We take actual values for all the parameters in our model, including the mass and surface area of the maple seed. The simulation results given by our model are in good agreement with experimental results. Our simulation results confirm that the rate of descent is proportional to the square root of the mass of the seed, as suggested by previous theoretical predictions and physical-model experiments. Moreover, we study the optimal design of wing shape in our model’s framework by comparing the descent rates of maple seeds with the same masses but different shapes.
http://gradworks.umi.com/34/86/3486843.html

Among others.

 

[antigravite]

Hi There I was aware of the thesis but was looking for a more generic work.


Please find attached a landmak 1910 article issued in a popular science like magazine. It was written by Dr Paul Amans, aeronautics pioneer. Amans would deserve a thread of his own here. He studied extensively animal and vegetal shapes, locomotion, and mechanics as applicable to early aeronautic science / technology. Really brilliant.


P. Amans, "L'Aéronautique végétale", La Nature, 38e année, No.1955, 12 Novembre 1910[/size]