Aerodynamic Study on “Gyro-forkball” of Baseball

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  • 野球のジャイロ・フォークボールの空力解析
  • ヤキュウ ノ ジャイロ ・ フォークボール ノ クウリキ カイセキ

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Baseball pitchers throw a 2-seam low backspin rate “Forkball”. Recently some of them have thrown a “Gyro-forkball” including a gyro-spin with a higher spin rate. We study the aerodynamics of gyro-spin balls for 2- and 4-seam orientations by using a simulation based on the Lattice Boltzmann Method with a cumulant collision term suitable for a large-eddy simulation model. The normal Forkball has a certain lift force due to the Magnus effect by the backspin. On the other hand, the time-averaged lift forces of Gyro-forkball for both orientations are almost zero in the vertical and horizontal directions since the boundary layer separations and swirling wake behaviors are synchronized with the ball rotation. The lift forces are changing periodically in time and are canceled by the time average for one ball rotation. The vertical movement data of a Major League pitcher are in good agreement with the computational results and we have succeeded in reproducing ball trajectories similar to those of game videos.

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