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Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 194501 (2004) [4 pages]

From Red Cells to Snowboarding: A New Concept for a Train Track

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Qianhong Wu, Yiannis Andreopoulos, and Sheldon Weinbaum *
Departments of Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering & New York Center for Biomedical Engineering, The City College of the City University of New York, 140th Street at Convent Avenue, New York, New York 10031, USA

Received 16 April 2004; published 3 November 2004

Feng and Weinbaum [J. Fluid Mech. 422, 282 (2000)] have shown that there is a remarkable dynamic similarity between a red cell gliding on the endothelial surface glycocalyx and a human snowboarding on fresh powder although they differ in mass by 1015. The lift forces in each case are 4 orders of magnitude greater than classical lubrication theory. Herein we report the first measurements of the pore pressures generated on the time scale of snowboarding and show a feasibility of designing a train that can glide on a track whose permeability and elastic properties are similar to goose down.


©2004 The American Physical Society

URL: http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevLett.93.194501
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.93.194501
PACS: 47.55.Mh, 87.10.+e, 87.15.La, 89.40.–a

* Corresponding author. Electronic address: weinbaum@ccny.cuny.edu

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