EXPERIMENT NO.

12

TO DETERMINE THE DRAG COEFFICIENT OF A

SETTLING OBJECT
Objective
To measure surface profile of free vortex.

Apparatus
 Hydraulic bench
 Free vortex apparatus

Procedure
 First, we placed the apparatus vertically fixed to the wall.
 Fill both tubes with liquid (water) up to a certain height.
 Mark the two lines upon which we note the time of flight.
 Take the spherical balls (or any shape you use).
 Drop the ball into the tube in a downward direction. During the downward motion
effective buoyancy due to hydrostatic pressure distribution, and drag forces contributed
by the relative motion between the sphere and water.
 And during the downward motion of the balls we note the time from a certain height to a
certain level which we marked on the tube.
 The effective buoyancy force on the sphere can be determined by using Archimedes’
principle as if it were immersed in a real fluid with a density equal to the bulk density of
the material.
 We calculate drag force by using its formula and also find the value of C D theoretical and
experimental.

Theory
Drag force is the resistance force of a fluid. This force applies acting opposite towards the
motion of the object which is moving submerge in a certain fluid. Thus Drag Force is defined as
the force which resists the motion of a body with fluid.
The Drag Coefficient (Cd) is a dimensionless number that is used to quantify the resistance of an
object as it moves through a fluid. It allows aerodynamicists to model the influence of shape,
inclination, and flow conditions on aerodynamic drag. As the coefficient of drag is
dimensionless, aerodynamicists can easily compare different designs to determine which has the
best aerodynamic efficiency. Most important that the drag coefficient varies with the Reynolds
number. The Reynolds number is a dimensionless quantity that defines the ratio between the
inertial forces and the viscous forces of a fluid. It essentially describes how the behavior of air
changes with temperature, pressure, velocity, and the type of fluid.
Drag Forces:
Drag force FDFD is proportional to the square of the speed of the object. Mathematically,
FD=12CρAv2, FD=12CρAv2,
where C is the drag coefficient, A is the area of the object facing the fluid, and ρρ is the density
of the fluid.
Athletes as well as car designers seek to reduce the drag force to lower their race times. The
aerodynamic shaping of an automobile can reduce the drag force and thus increase a car’s gas
mileage.
Like friction, the drag force always opposes the motion of an object. Unlike simple friction, the
drag force is proportional to some function of the velocity of the object in that fluid. This
functionality is complicated and depends upon the shape of the object, its size, its velocity, and
the fluid it is in. For most large objects such as cyclists, cars, and baseballs not moving too
slowly, the magnitude of the drag force FDFD is proportional to the square of the speed of the
object. We can write this relationship mathematically as FD∝v2.FD∝v2. When taking into
account other factors, this relationship becomes
FD=12CρAv2, FD=12CρAv2,
where C is the drag coefficient, A is the area of the object facing the fluid, and ρρ is the density
of the fluid. (Recall that density is mass per unit volume.) This equation can also be written in a
more generalized fashion as FD=bv2, FD=bv2, where b is a constant equivalent
to 0.5CρA.0.5CρA. We have set the exponent n for these equations as 2 because when an object
is moving at high velocity through air, the magnitude of the drag force is proportional to the
square of the speed.

Derivation:
F=6 πμr v t
F
C D= 2 2
1 ρ v t (π r )
2
6 πμr v t 12 ×2
C D= 2 2
=
1 ρ v t (π r ) 2 ρ v t r
2 μ
2 ρ vt r
As here =ℜ
μ
The Strokes drag is given as follows:
24
C D = ℜ ∙ ∙∙ ∙ ∙∙ ∙∙(theoretical)
And for experimental:
F D =W −B
F D =ρo Vg−ρ f Vg
F D =Vg(ρ o−ρf )
 Vg( ρo−ρ f )
C D= 2 2
1 ρf v t ( π r )
2
2 Vg( ρo−ρ f )
CD= ∙∙ ∙ ∙∙ ∙∙ ∙ ¿
ρf v 2t (π r 2)

Observations & Calculations:

Table:
kinematics Density velocit
S t Diameter Re Cd(theor)
viscosity of fluid y
1.6032 10144. 0.0023659
M/S 0.0010016 998 1.475 0.92 0.00635
61 11 04
1.7771 14055. 0.0017075
M/S 0.0010016 998 1.475 0.83 0.0079375
08 1 65
1.9155 18180. 0.0013201
M/S 0.0010016 998 1.475 0.77 0.009525
84 36 06
Cerami 1.0845 6862.1 0.0034974
0.0010016 998 1.475 1.36 0.00635
cs 59 95 23
Cerami 1.6573 15729. 0.0015258
0.0010016 998 1.475 0.89 0.009525
cs 03 08 37

Density of
Density of object volume r r2 Cd(exp.)
fluid
1.33965E- 1.01E-
M/S 7860 998 0.003175 0.222118468
07 05
1.58E-
M/S 7860 998 2.6165E-07 0.003969 0.22598271
05
4.52131E- 2.27E-
M/S 7860 998 0.004763 0.23338972
07 05
Ceramic 1.33965E- 1.01E-
3800 998 0.003175 0.198200273
s 07 05
Ceramic 4.52131E- 2.27E-
3800 998 0.004763 0.127320315
s 07 05
Graph:

Possible errors:
 There can be an error in the apparatus.
 There can be errors in the reading that we take.
 There can be a mechanical error

Conclusions:
It is concluded that coefficient of lift increases with increase in angle of attack for all speed.
Where as coefficient of drag decreases after certain angle of attack at higher wind speeds.