Aerodynamics of Boomerangs

  The below video is a research project which expands upon earlier research into the aerodynamics of boomerangs. It applies blade element theory to boomerang aerodynamics, extending derived analytical expressions for time-average drag force and drag torque. It incorporated a meshed ultra wide band tracking system using 16 anchors and 1 radio tag embedded into a test boomerang. This system was used to measure the flight trajectory of the boomerang using the embedded wireless radio. Flight trajectory was simulated using the expressions for lift, rolling-moment, pitching-moment combined with drag force and drag torque. Reasonable agreement was obtained between simulation results and measurement however, further study is required to assess the impact of launch angle and layover of the boomerang throw, which are known to more strongly impact the range ( farthest distance from the launch position )

 

 

This below pdf is one of the most advanced studies of boomerang science currently available. It is the work of many hours of study and some very advanced math but it is an excellent description of the aerodynamics of boomerangs, extending upon very extensive work by earlier researchers. The primary authors are described below:

Prasad S. Gudem received the B. Tech degree in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India, in 1988, and the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, in 1996. He was a Vice President of Engineering at Qualcomm from 2014-2018 and is currently a Adjunct faculty in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA. He has 50+ patents and 40+ IEEE publications. He taught several graduate-level classes and co-advised twelve Ph.D. students in RF integrated circuit (IC) design. Dr. Gudem was the recipient of the Graduate Teaching Award in recognition of his outstanding teaching of the ECE265 course sequence, “Communication Circuit Design: I, II, and III”. He is an avid follower of the history of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).

         Manuel Schütz received his degree (lic.phil.nat) in physics from the Institute of Applied Physics, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland in 2003. He is a five-time World Champion in boomerang throwing and holds several world records, among them the long-distance world record (apex at 238m), the current Fast Catch and Trick catch record. Regarded as both a tremendous boomerang athlete as well as a leading edge boomerang designer, Mr.Schütz is one of the leading boomerang experts of all time.Several of his boomerangs are available in our collection, the "Blue Manu", "Yellow Manu" and "Red Manu" boomerangs. Since 2009, he is a mathematics and science teacher at WKS KV Bildung in Bern (Federal Vocational Baccalaureate).

         Kyle Holland received a Ph.D degree in electrical engineering from the University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada in 2016. He is currently a senior engineer in the RFIC Design Group with Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., San Diego, CA, USA. His research interests include the quantum-mechanical simulations of nano-electronic devices, NPath filters, and future electronics.

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