How can I determine the air pressure in a wind tunnel for an airplane drag test?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around a problem in fluid dynamics related to calculating the drag force on an airplane using dimensional analysis. The equation provided relates the drag force (F) to various parameters, including air density (ρ), airplane velocity (u), characteristic length (l), and air viscosity (μ). The scenario involves a 1:10 scale model tested in a wind tunnel at the same speed as the actual airplane, which is cruising at 390 km/h. The main challenge is determining the air pressure in the wind tunnel while maintaining the same temperature for both the model and prototype. Participants emphasize the need to experimentally determine the function f, which is crucial for solving the problem. There is a request for assistance in correctly applying the dimensional analysis to find the drag force, indicating confusion about separating variables correctly. The discussion highlights the importance of experimental data in fluid dynamics problems.
yuukichi
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Hi guys, have been reading these forums for a very long time, have always found it very helpful and informative.

There's this problem which I can't seem to get my head around, it seems very straight forward, but every time I try to do it, I always end up doing it wrong. I would greatly appreciate it if anyone could point me in the right direction.

The problem is:

Dimensional analysis showed that the following relation describes the drag force F on an airplane

\frac{F}{\rho d^{2}u^{2}} = f\left(\frac{\mu}{\rho l u}\right)

Where u the airplane velocity, l is the characteristic length of the airplane, \rho is the surrounding air density and \mu is the viscosity of the air.
The drag on an airplane cruising at 390km/h in air at atmospheric pressure and temperature is to be determined from tests on a 1:10 scale model placed in a pressurised wind tunnel. To minimise compressibility effect the air speed in the wind tunnel is also to be 390km/h. Determine the air pressure in the wind tunnel, assuming the air temperature for the model and prototype.

I've tried separating F on the LHS by introducing a constant in the RHS, but that ends up totally wrong :confused:

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks :)
 
Engineering news on Phys.org
The only unknown thing is the function f: one must measure it experimentaly. If you only care about one particular real life problem, then you only need the value of f for that problem: you get this value by one experiment on the model that gives the same argument for f as the real life problem.
 
hey thread what answer did u get fir this question. pliz help me everyone.
 
Back
Top