Re: was: Pterosaur.net now: pteroid

["jrc" <jrccea@bellsouth.net>]

Actually, it's not constant, even when not flapping -- but it isn't 
particularly large in magnitude either.  I'm not going to take time right 
now to quantify it exactly for any particular species, but for a 20 Kg 
animal while soaring, it is on the very loose order of  a half kilogram 
force acting to extend each elbow.  The moment arm will be roughly 1/3 the 
distance from the elbow to the wingtip.  For an animal with a 4.8 meter 
span, that would be about 2/3 meter and would result in the elbow resisting 
an extension moment on the rough order of  something like 0.3 Kg-M or 2.4 
ft-lb.  Not enough to write home about.
JimC

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Habib" <habib@jhmi.edu>
To: "David Peters" <davidpeters@att.net>
Cc: "Mark Witton" <Mark.Witton@port.ac.uk>; <pterosaur.net@googlemail.com>; 
"dinosaur mailing list" <dinosaur@usc.edu>; "David Hone" 
<dwe_hone@yahoo.com>
Sent: Friday, January 15, 2010 11:23 AM
Subject: Re: was: Pterosaur.net now: pteroid


> > > Remember the rest of the wing is creating drag that is trying to
> > overextend the elbow. That is a constant force while flying.