Date of Award:

5-2022

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Committee Chair(s)

Barton L. Smith

Committee

Barton L. Smith

Committee

Douglas Hunsaker

Committee

Nicholas Roberts

Abstract

An experiment was done to look at the effect baseball seams can have on how a pitched baseball moves in flight. Both non-spinning and spinning baseballs were analyzed in this study. Data was taken and analyzed at 60, 90, and 110 MPH to determine the influence of velocity and altitude on the ability of seams to alter the trajectory of a pitched baseball. Additionally, a ball's spin causes movement in a certain direction that is dependent on the spin axis. A second focus of this study was on the effect of baseball seams changing the movement in the same direction as the movement caused by a ball's spin. Taking and analyzing data of the air flow around a spinning baseball in flight led to the finding of specific areas of the baseball's surface where a seam can change this movement. These experiments were done using official MLB baseballs moving at 90 MPH and spinning at 1300, 1800, and 2300 RPM.

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