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MEE40004-Fluid Mechanics
2
Lab 1: Wind Tunnel Experiment
Date:
List of Figure
List of Table
1 Introduction
In numerous engineering applications, it is increasingly necessary to understand
how a material behaves when it is inserted in a fluid in motion. One example of
this is the analysis of an aircraft wing during flight. In order to achieve this, the
wing is placed in a stationary position with a moving fluid, usually air, being
driven across the wing. In the same vein, the flow of fluid across a object such as
a cylinder can also be analysed. Unlike the wing of a plane, a cylinder will not
experience lift when the fluid flows across it but instead will experience a force
known as drag. The drag force and the lift force are resultant of pressure
differences that occur on an object when it is stationary and a fluid moves across
it. Another factor that can affect the amount of drag is the skin friction on the
object which in some cases can be neglected. This experiment seeks to measure
the pressure distribution on a stationary cylinder with a fluid flowing across it and
subsequently find the drag force.
2 Objective
The aim of this experiment is to analyse and measure pressure, distributed along
the surface of a perpendicularly placed smooth cylinder and after which to
calculate the drag coefficient of the cylinder, determine the relationship between
pressure and velocity in a moving medium and finally to compare the results to a
theoretical and predicted frictionless flow. By inserting the cylinder in a closed
circuit wind tunnel and finding the pressure distribution acting on the object at
different speeds the investigation can be carried out. The experimental results
will further be compared to the theoretical results for frictionless flow and finally
the drag coefficient will be calculated. By gathering data from the 12 cylindrical
tapings around the cylinder. The theoretical and experimental results and graphs
will ultimately be compared.
3 Theory
The study of the airflow around a body or object is of widespread study. In the
study of how it interacts with a cylinder, it is expected to produce a drag force
parallel to that of the air flow velocity. This is a result of pressure accumulation
and interaction around the cylinder body which will differ at various sections and
points on the cylinder. In order to fully understand these effects in the
experiment and the results, the following equations will be needed
V=
2 ( P P )
t
||=P
gage + Patmospheric
P
4 Experimental Apparatus
3. Test model holder stand. A clamp to hold the object, in this case a cylinder.
4. 16 way pressure display unit An electronic display unit to show the
relevant conditions around the cylinder at different operating speeds of the wind
tunnel.
5. Pitot Tube A tube with two holes. One side faces the air stream direction
and the other faces the opposite direction. It functions to give readings for the
static and dynamic pressure.
Figure 3: Internal shot showing the pressure cylinder, clamp, stand and pitot tube
Figure 4: Pitot Tube
5 Experimental Procedures
1. The Pressure cylinder was set up on the stand in the wind tunnel and
the 16-unit pressure display was set up
2. The connections that brought together the Pressure display unit and
the pressure cylinder were checked again to make sure they were
properly connected
3. The wind tunnel was switched on via a switch on the side of the
machine
4. The reference pressures were taken while the fan remained off
5. The run button was pressed and the fan frequency was increased to
15Hz
6. At the 15 Hz mark, the readings for point 1 to point 12 were taken once
again using the 16 way pressure display unit
7. The fan frequency increased by an increment of 5 HZ to 20 Hz and
once again the readings were taken from the 16 way display unit
8. The increase of speed and recording procedure was repeated with
speed increments of 5Hz until an optimal speed of 45Hz
6 Results and calculations
The static pressure and the stagnation pressure differ in that the static
pressure has a lower absolute pressure that the stagnation. As a result of
P11 having a lower pressure than P12, it is assumed that P11 is the
stagnat8ion pressure while P12 is the static pressure. The initial pressure
obtained from the pressure display unit was in Bar but for the sake of this
experiment has been converted to Pa beforehand using the following
calculation
Sample Calculation
( 0.01460.0148 ) 105
20 Pa
Pressure Point
15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Sample Calculation
Reynolds number
V d
=
v
11.5 0.089
5
1.51 10
67945.36
Wind Velocity
V=
2( Pstagnation Pstatics )
2(20(100))
1.204
11.5 m/s
Dynamic Pressure
(20(100))
80 Pa
Predefined Parameters
kg
=1.204 2
, d=0.089m , v=1.51 105
m
-1
Pressure Coefficient
-2
-3
27 54 81 108 135
13.5 40.5 67.5 94.5 121.5
Angle ()
Sample Calculation
C p =14 sin2 ()
14 sin2 (135)
Pressure Points
15 20 25 30
35 40 45 Theoretical
Sample Calculation
kg
=1.204
m2
PP0
Cp=
1
V2
2
40(20)
1
(1.204)(11.5)2
2
0.250
7) Discussions (3 marks)
Solution
By having multiple individuals check the apparatus for proper connections (such
as making sure the cylinder is sufficiently tight) and errors of this nature, it would
ensure that all apparatus are connected properly and would eliminate the
assumption that this would be a source of error. Checking for leaks prior around
the wind tunnel and attempting to fix them would be a viable option even though
the chances of a leak are small.
Solution
Solution
References
Crowe, C. T.; Elgar, D. F.; Williams, B. C. & Roberson, J. A., 2010, Engineering Fluid
Mechanics,9th Edn., John Wiley & Sons (Asia) Pte Ltd, Asia
Lab Sheet: Wind Tunnel Experiment (Aerofoil and Pressure Cylinder Test),
Swinburne university of Technology Sarawak
Bertin, JJ & Cummings, RM 2008, Aerodynamics for engineers, 5th ed, Prentice
Hall, Indianapolis, IN.