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InsightHorizon Digest

How do helical strakes work

Author

Isabella Browning

Updated on April 08, 2026

Helical Strakes are aerodynamic stabilizers which are sometimes used to reduce the forces and deflections of the stack experienced due to vortex shedding. … They have the appearance of a “Snake” which spirals around the stack. When strakes are added the drag coefficient of the stack is increased greatly.

What does a helical strake do?

Helical Strakes are aerodynamic stabilizers which are sometimes used to reduce the forces and deflections of the stack experienced due to vortex shedding. … They have the appearance of a “Snake” which spirals around the stack. When strakes are added the drag coefficient of the stack is increased greatly.

What is VIV suppression?

Our VIV suppression systems are a proven and affordable solution to preventing or delaying separation and reducing the number of vortices produced, minimising the possibility of resonance. This helps to reduce riser fatigue damage, eliminating adverse pressure gradients and preventing alternate vortex shredding motion.

Why do smoke stacks have spirals?

The wind circles around the chimney upwards which pushes whatever gases being released even higher into the sky. The wind circles around the chimney downwards which prevent the chimney from going left or right and rather “push” it downwards to make it more steady.

What are strakes on a boat?

On a vessel’s hull, a strake is a longitudinal course of planking or plating which runs from the boat’s stempost (at the bows) to the sternpost or transom (at the rear).

Why is vortex shedding important?

This phenomenon is of major importance in engineering design because the alternate formation and shedding of vortices also creates alternating forces, which occur more frequently as the velocity of the flow increases.

How do I stop vortex shedding?

The entrainment of fluid into the inner side of the separated shear layers is obstructed by the downstream splitter plate. Our results suggest that by attaching in-line splitter plates both upstream and downstream of the cylinder, the vortex shedding can be suppressed, as well as a reduction in drag be obtained.

How do you stop Viv?

VIV can usually be minimized with the careful selection and design of VIV suppression devices such as helical strakes and fairings. Helical strakes are a popular choice for suppressing VIV of subsea tubulars.

Why does vortex shed?

In fluid dynamics, vortex shedding is an oscillating flow that takes place when a fluid such as air or water flows past a bluff (as opposed to streamlined) body at certain velocities, depending on the size and shape of the body. … The object will tend to move toward the low-pressure zone.

How do you reduce vortex induced vibration?

The main results show the following:(1)The vortex generators effectively suppress vortex-induced vibration. They shorten the lock-in region and reduce the amplitude of vortex-induced vibration. The vortex generators have the best result for = 70°, which significantly reduces the amplitude.

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Are lifting strakes worth the money?

Adding decent lifting strakes to your boat will set you back around $2,000, but it could be an investment that is well worth making for optimum speed abilities. However, it is worth mentioning here that most boats will come with lifting strakes already on.

How much speed do lifting strakes add?

Lifting strakes can improve the speed of your pontoon boat by 15% to 25%. The increased speed can also help you enjoy many water sports activities on your pontoon boat, which were not possible earlier.

How are strakes numbered?

The plates in the keel strake are number from aft to forward starting from the aft one which has the number “1”. Unlike other strakes, keel strakes do not have letter associated with its naming.

What causes vortex induced vibration?

In fluid dynamics, vortex-induced vibrations (VIV) are motions induced on bodies interacting with an external fluid flow, produced by, or the motion producing, periodic irregularities on this flow. … At some point, however, that layer can separate from the body because of its excessive curvature.

How do you find the frequency of a vortex shed?

For a constant diameter cylinder, the vortex shedding frequency is a simple calculation using the Strouhal Number. Sn=fL/V where Sn is the Strouhal No., f is the vortex shedding frequency (Hz), L is the characteristic length or diameter (if circular) in metres and V is the mean fluid velocity [ms-1] .

Does vortex shedding increase drag?

numerically studied the vortex shedding suppression around a square cylinder using one small control cylinder at Re = 100 and observed 10% to 15% drag reduction.

Is vortex shedding turbulent?

Vortex shedding can be grouped into four regions according to the Reynolds number: 1. Below subcritical region (Re<300): In this region, vortices start to develop, increase linearly, and become turbulence when break away from the pipeline as Reynolds number increases.

Who invented vortex shedding?

We present in this article the work of Henri Bénard (1874–1939), a French physicist who began the systematic experimental study of two hydrodynamic systems: the thermal convection of fluids heated from below (the Rayleigh–Bénard convection and the Bénard–Marangoni convection) and the periodical vortex shedding behind a …

How does a vortex shedding flow meter work?

A vortex flow meter is a flow measurement device best suited for flow measurements where the introduction of moving parts presents problems. … Vortex flow meters operate under the vortex shedding principle, where an oscillating vortexes occur when a fluid such as water flow past a bluff (as opposed to streamlined) body.

How do you disrupt a vortex?

Available solutions to reduce vortex formation include; increasing submergence, disrupt the angular momentum, force the vortex into a zone in which formation is difficult, increase the area of the intake to reduce velocities, or create a longer flow path to the surface.

What is vortex strength?

The ‘strength’ of a vortex tube (also called vortex flux) is the integral of the vorticity across a cross-section of the tube, and is the same everywhere along the tube (because vorticity has zero divergence).

What is VIV fatigue?

Vortex-induced vibration (VIV) is the main cause of marine risers’ fatigue damage. It is very hard to predict VIV of marine risers due to the nonlinearity and instability of the flow.

What is lock in Viv?

Lock-in/synchronization/wake-capture is an important phenomenon associated with vortex-induced vibrations (VIV) of bluff bodies. It is characterized by a high amplitude of structural vibrations. These vibrations can cause fatigue and may lead to catastrophic failure of structures.

What is the meaning of flow induced vibration?

The dynamic response of structures immersed in or conveying fluid flow. Fluid flow is a source of energy that can induce structural and mechanical oscillations.

What is reduced velocity?

The reduced velocity, Ur, is the velocity at which vortex shedding induced oscillations may occur.

How fast will a 150 hp pontoon boat go?

How fast will a 150 hp pontoon boat go? This varies upon the size of the boat and the load it is carrying, but they will typically be able to reach upwards of 30-40 miles per hour.

What are pontoon strakes?

Lifting strakes are a little bulge of metal that goes on the bottom and sides of the pontoon. Its job is to help the boat get up on a plane instead of plowing through the water. I have heard of people getting lifting strakes installed on an existing ‘toon, but it’s usually something you just get with the new boat.

How fast will a 200 hp pontoon boat go?

You can expect speeds between 18 and 28 miles per hour for a 90 HP pontoon boat and speeds of between 37 and 45 miles per hour for a 200 horsepower pontoon boat. Differences also include the resale value, cost, weight, speed, handling, and more.

How fast will a 300 hp pontoon boat go?

The Berkshire is our lone single-engine craft included here, but the 300 hp Mercury Verado helped it rip off a 50 mph top speed. That’s plenty of muscle to classify it as a powerful pontoon.

Will a hydrofoil help my pontoon?

Hydrofoils can fit into most pontoon engines, so you shouldn’t struggle to find one to match your needs. Just make sure that the hydrofoil is compatible with the exact engine horsepower not to face issues later on.

What is Underskinning on a pontoon boat?

For the uninitiated, under skinning is the process of adding an aluminium sheet to the underside of your boat. It has a few benefits such as: Under-skin can help to reduce drag. Under-skin can help to cut down on water spray. Under-skin can make a slighter faster and smoother ride.