DRAG FORCE IN FLOW OVER A BODY TEST SHEET

Initial error for rigid rod : 0.079

Initial error for upstream : 0.108
Initial error for downstream : 0.002

No Velocity Rigid Rod Body base surface facing upstream Body base surface facing Net Drag
(m/s) Drag downstream Coefficient,
Force,𝐹𝐷 Drag Force, Net Drag Drag Drag Net Drag 𝐶𝐷
(N) 𝐹𝐷 (N) Force, 𝐹𝐷 Coefficient, Force, Drag Coefficient,
(N) 𝐶𝐷 𝐹𝐷 (N) Force, 𝐶𝐷
𝐹𝐷
(N)

1 8 0.014 0.131 0.117 0.098 0.084

2 10 0.020 0.211 0.191 0.143 0.123
3 12 0.050 0.304 0.254 0.208 0.158
4 14 0.067 0.372 0.305 0.284 0.217
5 16 0.080 0.490 0.410 0.378 0.298
6 18 0.102 0.661 0.559 0.495 0.393
7 20 0.113 0.834 0.721 0.625 0.512
 DATA FROM EXPERIMENT

Open End Facing Upstream

Figure 1 Open End Facing Upstream

Velocity (m/s) 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Force (N) 0.131 0.211 0.304 0.372 0.490 0.661 0.834

Table 1 Drag force, 𝐹𝐷 for open end facing upstream

Open End Facing Downstream

Figure 2 Open end facing downstream

Velocity (m/s) 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Force (N) 0.098 0.143 0.208 0.284 0.378 0.495 0.625

Table 2 Drag force, 𝐹𝐷 for open end facing downstream

RESULT AND CALCULATION

Velocity 𝐹𝐷 𝐶𝐷 𝐹𝐷 𝐶𝐷 𝐶𝐷
(m/s) Upstream Upstream Downstream Downstream Net Re
8 0.131 0.098
10 0.211 0.143
12 0.304 0.208
14 0.372 0.284
16 0.490 0.378
18 0.661 0.495
20 0.834 0.625

Table 3 Data calculated from experiment

THEORY
Drag is the component of force on a body acting parallel to the direction of relative motion. The drag force,𝐹𝐷
was written in the functional form 𝐹𝐷 = 𝑓1 (d, V, μ, ρ).Application of the Buckingham Pi theorem resulted in
two dimensionless П parameters that written in function form as
𝐹𝐷 𝜌𝑣𝑑
1 2 2 = 𝑓2 ( ) ………… (1.0)
𝜌𝑣 𝑑 𝜇
2

Note that 𝑑2 is proportional to the cross-sectional area (A = л𝑑 2 /4) and therefore we could
write
𝐹𝐷 𝜌𝑣𝑑
1 2 = 𝑓3 ( ) = 𝑓3 (𝑅𝑒) …….………………….. (1.1)
𝜌𝑣 𝐴 𝜇
2

Although Eq. 1.1 was obtained for sphere, the form of equation is valid for incompressible
flow over any body; the characteristic length used in the Reynolds Number depends on body
shape.

The drag coefficient, 𝐶𝐷 , any body defined

𝐹𝐷
𝐶𝐷 = 1 ..………………(1.2)
𝜌𝑣 2 𝐴
2
APPARATUS

Wind tunnel and accessories

Figure 1 Wind Tunnel

Figure 2 Downstream Figure 3 Upstream