Researchers have found that a structure with a twisted, helical shape and an elliptical cross section -- inspired by the stem of a daffodil -- can reduce drag and eliminate side-force fluctuations.

The researchers speculated that the key characteristic in the horns’ morphology is not the decorative bits, like a fork or serration, but the shape of the cross-section. An elliptical cross ...

One such patent drawing, published in 2007, presents a design for "pressurisable aircraft fuselage structures having near-elliptical cross-sections", with seven-abreast seating in a twin-aisle ...

Each silicon stump, or pillar, has an elliptical cross section, and hence has a different effective refractive index associated with the two different modes that can be excited across the structure.