KATHIR COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

WISDOM TREE, NEELAMBUR,

COIMBATORE 641 062 ACD10.1

Continous Internal Assessment I

Subject AE 6801 WIND TUNNEL TECHNIQUES

ANSWER KEY
(PART-A)

Part A (Answer all questions) (9 x 2 = 18 Marks)

1. Define Reynolds number.

Reynolds number is defined as the dimensionalness number

2. Define mach no

The ratio of the speed of the body to the speed of sound

3. What is meant by subsonic and transonic speed regions?

The Mach number is

(0.4<m<0.75) is subsonic
(0.75<m<1.2) is transonic

4. Explain the term dynamic similarity.

The phenomenon that when there are two geometrically similar

vessels with the same boundary region

5. Define laminar and turbulent flow.

The flow is flow in straight and regular is known as laminar flow .

The flow is irregular is known as turbulent flow

6. Define Fordes number.

The dimensionless number the ratio of flow of inertia to the external field

7. What is geometrical similarity in wind tunnel testing of models?

The geometrical similarity exists between model and protype

8. Define Buckinghams -theorem.

It is the key theorem to the dimensional analysis. It is formalization of Rayleighs method

9. Define Webers number.

 The Webers number is dimensionless number in fluid mechanics that is often useful in
analyzing fluid flows

Part B (Answer all questions) (2 x 16 = 32 Marks)

10.a. Explain the Buckinghams pi theorem.

In engineering, applied mathematics, and physics, the Buckingham theorem is a

key theorem in dimensional analysis. It is a formalization of Rayleigh's method of dimensional analysis.
Loosely, the theorem states that if there is a physically meaningful equation involving a certain number n of
physical variables, then the original equation can be rewritten in terms of a set of p = n k dimensionless
parameters 1, 2, ..., p constructed from the original variables. (Here k is the number of physical dimensions
involved; it is obtained as the rank of a particular matrix.)

The theorem can be seen as a scheme for nondimensionalization because it provides a method for computing
sets of dimensionless parameters from the given variables, even if the form of the equation is still unknown.

More formally, the number of dimensionless terms that can be formed, p, is equal to the nullity of
the dimensional matrix, and k is the rank. For experimental purposes, different systems that share the same
description in terms of these dimensionless numbers are equivalent.
In mathematical terms, if we have a physically meaningful equation such as
where the qi are the n physical variables, and they are expressed in terms of k independent physical units, then
the above equation can be restated as
where the i are dimensionless parameters constructed from the qi by p = n k dimensionless equations the
so-called Pi groups of the form
where the exponents ai are rational numbers (they can always be taken to be integers: just raise it to a power to
clear denominators).

10)B
Weve all heard the old saying, You cant add apples and oranges (Fig. 73). This
is actually a simplified expression of a far more global and fundamental
mathematical law for equations, the law of dimensional homogeneity, stated as
Every additive term in an equation must have the same dimensions.
Consider, for example, the change in total energy of a simple compressible closed
system from one state and/or time (1) to another (2), as illustrated in Fig. 74. The
change in total energy of the system (E) is given by
Change of total energy of a system:
where E has three components: internal energy (U), kinetic energy (KE), and
potential energy (PE).
These components can be written in terms of the system mass (m); measurable
quantities and thermodynamic properties at each of the two states, such as speed
(V), elevation (z), and specific internal energy (u); and the known gravitational
acceleration constant (g), (73) It is straightforward to verify that the left side of Eq.
72 and all three additive terms on the right side of Eq. 72 have the same
dimensionsenergy.
Using the definitions of Eq. 73, we write the primary dimensions of each term, If at
some stage of an analysis we find ourselves in a position in which two additive
terms in an equation have different dimensions, this would be a clear indication that
we have made an error at some earlier stage in the analysis (Fig. 75).
In addition to dimensional homogeneity, calculations are valid only when the units
are also homogeneous in each additive term. For example, units of energy in the
above terms may be J, N m, or kg m2/s2, all of which are equivalent.
Suppose, however, that kJ were used in place of J for one of the terms. This term
would be off by a factor of 1000 compared to the other terms. It is wise to write out
all units when performing mathematical calculations in order to avoid such errors.
{PE}
{E} {Energy} {Force Length} {E} {mL2 /t2 }
{U} eMass Energy Mass f {Energy} {U} {mL2 /t2 }
{PE} eMass Length Time2 Lengthf {PE} {mL2 /t2 }

11)A

A wind tunnel is a tool used in aerodynamic research to study the effects of air moving past solid objects.
A wind tunnel consists of a tubular passage with the object under test mounted in the middle. Air is made to
move past the object by a powerful fan system or other means. The test object, often called a wind tunnel
model, is instrumented with suitable sensors to measure aerodynamic forces, pressure distribution, or other
aerodynamic-related characteristics.

The earliest wind tunnels were invented towards the end of the 19th century, in the early days of aeronautic
research, when many attempted to develop successful heavier-than-air flying machines. The wind tunnel was
envisioned as a means of reversing the usual paradigm: instead of the air standing still and an object moving at
speed through it, the same effect would be obtained if the object stood still and the air moved at speed past it.
In that way a stationary observer could study the flying object in action, and could measure the aerodynamic
forces being imposed on it.

11)B

Types of Wind Tunnels

Aerodynamicists use wind tunnels to test models of proposed aircraft. In the tunnel, the engineer can
carefully control theflow conditions which affect forces on the aircraft. By making careful measurements of
the forces on the model, the engineer can predict the forces on the full scale aircraft. And by using special
diagnostic techniques, the engineer can better understand and improve the performance of the aircraft.

Wind tunnels are designed for a specific purpose and speed range. Therefore, there are many different
types of wind tunnels and several different ways to classify wind tunnels. In this section of the website we
shall present various types of wind tunnels and discuss some of the unique features of each type of
tunnel. On the figure, we show several examples of wind tunnels and their designation.

Let us consider the various ways that we classify wind tunnels. Details for the various types of wind
tunnels are provided on separate web pages.