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Parasitic drag
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Parasitic drag, also known as profile drag,[1]: 254 [2]: 256 is a type of aerodynamic drag that acts on any
object when the object is moving through a fluid. Parasitic drag is a combination of form drag and skin
friction drag.[3][1]: 641–642 [4]: 19 It affects all objects regardless of whether they are capable of generating lift.
Total drag on an aircraft is made up of parasitic

drag and lift-induced drag. Parasitic drag is
named as such because it is not useful,
whereas lift-induced drag is the result of an
airfoil generating lift. Parasitic drag comprises
all types of drag except lift-induced drag.[5]
Contents
Form drag
Skin friction drag
See also
Drag curve for a lifting body in steady flight
References
Form drag
Form drag arises because of the shape of the object. The general size and shape of the body are the most
important factors in form drag; bodies with a larger presented cross-section will have a higher drag than
thinner bodies; sleek ("streamlined") objects have lower form drag. Form drag follows the drag equation,
meaning that it increases with the square of the velocity, and thus becomes more important for high-speed
aircraft.
Form drag depends on the longitudinal section [clarification needed] of the body. A prudent choice of body
profile is essential for a low drag coefficient. Streamlines should be continuous, and separation of the
boundary layer with its attendant vortices should be avoided.
Form drag includes interference drag, caused by the mixing of airflow streams. For example, where the
wing and fuselage meet at the wing root, two airstreams merge into one. This mixing can cause eddy
currents, turbulence, or restrict smooth airflow. Interference drag is greater when two surfaces meet at
perpendicular angles, and can be minimised by the use of fairings.[6][7][5]
Wave drag, also known as supersonic wave drag or compressibility drag, is a component of form drag
caused by shock waves generated when an aircraft is moving at transonic and supersonic
speeds.[1]: 25, 492, 573
Form drag is a type of pressure drag,[1]: 254 a term which also includes lift-induced drag.[1]: 65, 319 Form drag
is pressure drag due to separation.[1]: 641–642 [2]: 256
Skin friction drag
Main article: Skin friction drag
Skin friction drag arises from the friction of the fluid against the "skin" of the object that is moving through
it. Skin friction arises from the interaction between the fluid and the skin of the body, and is directly related
to the wetted surface, the area of the surface of the body that is in contact with the fluid. Air in contact with
a body will stick to the body's surface and that layer will tend to stick to the next layer of air and that in turn
to further layers, hence the body is dragging some amount of air with it. The force required to drag an
"attached" layer of air with the body is called skin friction drag. Skin friction drag imparts some momentum
to a mass of air as it passes through it and that air applies a retarding force on the body. As with other
components of parasitic drag, skin friction follows the drag equation and rises with the square of the
velocity.
Skin friction is caused by viscous drag in the boundary layer around the object. The boundary layer at the
front of the object is usually laminar and relatively thin, but becomes turbulent and thicker towards the rear.
The position of the transition point from laminar to turbulent flow depends on the shape of the object. There
are two ways to decrease friction drag: the first is to shape the moving body so that laminar flow is possible.
The second method is to increase the length and decrease the cross-section of the moving object as much
as practicable. To do so, a designer can consider the fineness ratio, which is the length of the aircraft
divided by its diameter at the widest point (L/D). It is mostly kept 6:1 for subsonic flows. Increase in length
increases Reynolds number ( ). With in the denominator for skin friction coefficient's relation, as its
value is increased (in laminar range), total friction drag is reduced. While decrease in cross-sectional area
decreases drag force on the body as the disturbance in air flow is less.
The skin friction coefficient, , is defined by
where is the local wall shear stress, and q is the free-stream dynamic pressure.[8] For boundary layers
without a pressure gradient in the x direction, it is related to the momentum thickness as
For comparison, the turbulent empirical relation known as the One-seventh Power Law (derived by
Theodore von Kármán) is:
where is the Reynolds number.[2]: Formula 4.101
For a laminar flow over a plate, the skin friction coefficient can be determined using the formula:[9]
See also
NACA duct
Jet engine ram drag
Skin friction line
References
1. ^ a b c d e f Anderson, John D. Jr. (1991). Fundamentals of aerodynamics (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
ISBN 0-07-001679-8.
2. ^ a b c Anderson, John D. Jr. (2016). Introduction to flight (Eighth ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill Education.
p. 242. ISBN 978-0-07-802767-3.
3. ^ Clancy, L.J. (1975). Aerodynamics, Sub-section 5.9. Pitman Publishing. ISBN 0 273 01120 0
4. ^ Gowree, Erwin Ricky (20 May 2014). Influence of Attachment Line Flow on Form Drag (doctoral). Retrieved
22 March 2022.
5. ^ a b Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (PDF). FAA. p. Chapter 5, Aerodynamics of flight. "The first is
called parasite because it in no way functions to aid flight, while the second, induced drag, is a result of an airfoil
developing lift."
6. ^ "Interference Drag - SKYbrary Aviation Safety" . 25 May 2021.
7. ^ "How Interference Drag Affects Your Plane's Performance" .
8. ^ "Skin friction coefficient -- CFD-Wiki, the free CFD reference" . www.cfd-online.com. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
9. ^ tec-science (2020-05-31). "Drag coefficient (friction and pressure drag)" . tec-science. Retrieved 2020-06-
25.
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Total drag on an aircraft is made up of parasitic

Skin friction drag

Skin friction drag

Main article: Skin friction drag

The skin friction coefficient, , is defined by

where is the Reynolds number.[2]: Formula 4.101

Jet engine ram drag

Skin friction line

6. ^ "Interference Drag - SKYbrary Aviation Safety" . 25 May 2021.

7. ^ "How Interference Drag Affects Your Plane's Performance" .

Last edited on 23 November 2023, at 05:54

Content is available under CC BY-SA 4.0 unless otherwise noted.

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