Not all superheroes wear capes , but many do , and it ’s a long - established fact that these capes are crucial when it issue forth to flying around town to crusade crime and brood and whatnot . And yet the people still do n’t know , with anything go about certainty , how exactly mantle facilitate this physical process ( at least , the capes that are n’t themselves imbued with the power of flight ) .
To clear up the disarray , for this week’sGiz Askswe give out to a telephone number of expert in engineering to visualize out whether capes are actually aerodynamic . The consensus seems to be that capes are not really that aerodynamic at all , when you get right down to it . Just the opposite , really . But the mechanics here are interesting , and for those of you still interested in cape - assisted flight , a number of plausible change are proposed below .
Jamey Jacob
Professor , Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering , Oklahoma State University
ness by themselves are not flowing in the sense of producing lift or reducing drag . Thus , Superman ’s cape serves no substantial purpose other than complimenting the Man of Steel ’s costume semblance schema , or provide some restrained heat from upper level air stream . However , they do have an streamlined encroachment . Much like a flagstone flapping in the breeze , they would generate a drag force and flutter under certain conditions . Thus , from a purely aerodynamic perspective , an unsupported ness is detrimental — not beneficial — to fledge .
That said , it is potential to make a ness provide utilitarian sleek forces if you could contrive it to retain a specific shape . Hang gliders or Rogallo wings do this for object lesson , by stretching a thin fabric between a support systema skeletale , while parafoils do this by using tup gentle wind to inflate the fabric . In these cases , the conciliatory textile forms an control surface shape to bring forth a cosmetic surgery force . Thus a cape with this structure could be configured as a annex to produce aerodynamic lift and render limited flight of steps control for a superhero . Wingsuits do this by enhancing the a skydiver ’s ability to produce limited lift by providing additional surface arena and allowing the skydiver to control the dispersion of aerodynamic strength using their limbs . However , this is actuate off from what we usually consider to be term a ness .
As Edna Mode order , “ No ness ! ”
Geoffrey Spedding
Professor , Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering , USC
In some way [ yes , they are ] , since anything that travels through the air experiences aerodynamic force , then of course they must be . But the real solvent is no . The question really means can they sire useful aerodynamic forces , and as usually configured , they will rather flutter uselessly like flags .
You could get them to act like wings , if you could have a lead edge spar that stiffen , and then some shack spars and/or some way of maintaining tenseness in the cape . Perhaps the trailing edge would be elastic and then fixed tightly to the rose hip in a belt that could tighten the sheet up . What you have now finish up with is something that resembles a bat fender , or a hang - sailplane . Bats and bent - glider habituate pliant membranes and they work quite well .
We might look at expert parachutist as they free - fall , who show that all variety of tricks can be performed by minuscule shape changes at speed . We also have wing suit , where a small triangle goes from arm to physical structure on each side . When the hurrying is sufficiently in high spirits , the wings do n’t have to be very big , or efficient , to generate enough facelift to patronize the weight . I understand one of the tricky piece is figuring out how to decelerate down in control fashion .
Bottom course — I can imagine an aerodynamic Batman and his mantle , provided there is something to allow push . The ness would be used both to allow for jab , and control in dying - defying twists and turns , and to confuse smart missiles , like a modern twenty-four hours aerial toreador .
Carl Ollivier-Gooch
Professor , Mechanical Engineering , University of British Columbia
Capes definitely are n’t flowing . The cape is going to add retarding force , no matter whether they themselves are vanish , like Superman , or are being propelled by various gadgets like Batman . Roughly speaking , I ’d expect the pull for a mantle to be about the same as for a flag flapping in the walkover . So let ’s say Superman is flying at only 300 km / time of day ( substantially slower than a speeding bullet ! ) , and that his mantle is about 60 cm by 150 cm . The drag on his cape is go to be about 375 N ( around 40 kg ) ; that ’s about half what I ’d gauge the puff for his body would be . So the cape looks cool , but it ’s terrible aerodynamically .
Mark Drela
Professor , Aeronautics and Astronautics , MIT Aeroastro
It depends on what you intend by “ aerodynamic . ”
Common definition are : near to lowest possible drag ; or close to highest potential raise ; or faithful to highest possible cosmetic surgery / drag ratio .
A freely flapping cape has comparatively high drag , and can not generate raising , so it fail miserably on all counts . The human body is also a very poor aerodynamic physical object on all counts .
If the rearward bound of the cape is confine , i.e. attached to the feet , then it could beget raise like a annex - suit does , but it ’s still very poor compared to a good fender on all three reckoning .
A freely - flap cape bind at the cervix is also very destabilizing , because its drag will want to sky the wearer around so that he ’s take flight feet - first . So you wo n’t see a skydiver fag a mantle because it would be pointless at best , and possibly dangerous at worst .
Michael Dickinson
Professor , Bioengineering and Aeronautics , Caltech
The canonic answer is , it reckon on how the ness is attach .
A typical Superman cape , which confiscate to the neck but is otherwise free , is not streamlined at all . It is basically a iris , which like a flag would just roll in the fart .
In the causa of Superman , the wind is generate by Superman ’s own motion . Such a ness would do nothing but beget drag , and thus slow Superman down .
A tight mantle that attaches along the arms or legs , as is sometimes picture on Batman , could service an aerodynamic function in gliding . This is fundamentally how base jumping whole caboodle .
As Batman leap , his so - called “ glide angle ” would be extended by lift created by his ness if he support it tight along his body . This is fundamentally what fly squirrels ( like Rocky of Rocky and Bullwinkle celebrity ) can do . However , compared to eminent performance flank of albatross and other razz , such poor mantle - wing are not very telling from an streamlined view . In the jargon of the astronautics , they have a “ downhearted scene proportion , ” which means that their length to width proportion is very minuscule ; long slender wings ( like those of an albatross or glider ) which have a high aspect proportion are much better .
The best humankind could do is gliding ; they do not have sufficient brawniness mass to generate lift via flapping like a bird , bat , or insect . They do not even come close — ergo all the nutballs who rise off of medieval castles to their deaths .
Do you have a burning question for Giz Asks ? electronic mail us at[email protect ] .
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