Synthetic shuttlecock dynamics

• Main Author: Muhammad Afiq Abdul Hamid
• Other Authors: Yeo Joon Hock
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2015
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Mechanical engineering::Fluid mechanics; DRNTU::Engineering::Mechanical engineering::Mechanics and dynamics
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/64586
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Shuttlecocks that are commonly used today are mostly made of goose feathers, and such shuttlecocks tend to get damaged easily, often needing to be replaced several times during a game. Synthetic shuttlecocks are able to last longer, however they do not have the ideal characteristics of feather shuttlecocks that most professional shuttlers prefer, such as their higher speeds upon impact and greater deceleration upon dropping. Due to the fragile nature of the feather shuttlecocks, and the constant need to be replaced, badminton can be a financially costly game to partake in. Thus this project investigates on the possibility of using cheaper alternative synthetic materials to fabricate shuttlecocks that are of similar concept and design to that of the currently popular feather and synthetic shuttlecocks. In this study, prototype shuttlecocks were made using common household materials such as transparent plastic folders and bamboo skewers, as well as the original shuttlecock cork heads. The fabricated prototypes then underwent an experiment to measure their respective flight trajectories as well as rotation speeds, using a prototype shuttlecock launcher. Using the data from the experiment, the flight trajectory was plotted, and velocities as well as spin rates were recorded. This data was then compared to that of feather and synthetic shuttlecocks. The results showed that the prototypes flew similar flight trajectories to that of feather and synthetic shuttlecocks, but they tend to fly further distances due to their higher masses. This study also discusses the possibility of future studies that could be done to further explore other types of testing that could be done on such prototypes to make them as similar to feather shuttlecocks as possible.