In situ lift measurement of sports balls

Aerodynamic lift on sports balls is typically measured in wind tunnels. Wind tunnel measurements may have measurable differences with ball drag occurring in play. Measurements under game conditions have been attempted, but are difficult to interpret from the data scatter and are not controlled. The following considers lift measurements from a ball propelled through static air in a laboratory setting. High speed light gates were used to measure lift. Lift was observed to depend on the ball speed, roughness, stitch height, and orientation.