Virtual Mass

Concept of Virtual Mass

Added mass is the inertia added to a system due to
the fact that an accelerating or decelerating body m
ust move some volume of surrounding fluid as it m
oves through it, since the object and fluid cannot o
ccupy the same physical space simultaneously.

Kinetic Energy
The fluid got kinetic energy due to the body that i
s moving in the fluid.
1. Sphere
,added mass=
=

2. Cylinder

Example

For example, a spherical air bubble rising in water has a

mass of but an added mass of Since water is approxim
ately 800 times denser than air , the added mass in this c
ase is approximately 400 times the mass of the bubble.
( at sea level is 1.2250 kg/, is 1000 kg/)

Experiment for Virtual Mass

mass-spring-dashpot system

where m is the system mass, b is the linear damping coeffic

ient, k is the spring coefficient, f(t) is the force acting on th
e mass. The natural frequency of the system is

Experiment for Virtual Mass

For

the case of unsteady motion of bodies underwater or unsteady fl

ow around objects, we must consider the additional effect. The adde

d mass force opposes the motion
and can be factored into the system equation as follows:

Last, we could get another natural frequency

Experiment for Virtual Mass

Applications
Added mass effect also apply to ships, submarines,
and offshore platforms. In ship design, the energy r
equired to accelerate the added mass must be taken
into account when performing a sea keeping analys
is. For ships, the added mass can easily reach or
of the mass of the ship.

Questions
What is the relationship between added mass for
ce and drag force?