34 4.

5 Flow past an obstacle

4.5.2 Rankine half-body

Suppose that, in the velocity potential of a flow past a sphere, we replace the dipole with a
point source (m > 0), so that
!
m mr mz
φ(r, z) = U z − ⇒ u = ∇φ = ,U + .
(r2 + z 2 )1/2 (r2 + z 2 )3/2 (r2 + z 2 )3/2
p
This flow has a single stagnation point ur = uz = 0 at r = 0 and z = − m/U .
To find the streamlines of the flow we calculate the Stokes streamfunction using
1 ∂Ψ 1 ∂Ψ
ur = − and uz = .
r ∂z r ∂r
Thus,
∂Ψ mrz U r2 mz
= Ur + ⇒ Ψ = − + α(z),
∂r 2
(r + z ) 2 3/2 2 (r + z 2 )1/2
2

1 ∂Ψ m mz 2 α′ (z)
⇒ =− + + ,
r ∂z r (r2 + z 2 )1/2 r (r2 + z 2 )3/2 r
m r2 + z 2 − z 2


α′ (z) mr α′ (z)
=− + = − + ,
r (r2 + z 2 )3/2 r (r2 + z 2 )3/2 r
mr
= −ur = − .
(r + z 2 )3/2
2

So, since α′ (z) = 0, α is a constant (set to zero). The Stokes streamfunction is therefore
U r2 mz
Ψ(r, z) = − .
2 (r2 + z 2 )1/2
p
At the stagnation point (r = 0, z = − m/U ), Ψ = m. Hence, the equation of the streamline,
or streamtube, passing through this stagnation point is
!
U r2 z
Ψ(r, z) = m ⇔ =m 1+ .
2 (r2 + z 2 )1/2
Notice that the straight line r = 0 with z < 0 satisfies the equation of the streamline Ψ = m.
For large positive z, the equation of the streamtube Ψ = m becomes
U r2
r
m
≃ 2m ⇒ r ≃ 2 .
2 U
Thus, the velocity potential and the Stokes streamfunction
! !
a2 U a 2z
φ(r, z) = U z − and Ψ(r, z) = r2 −
4 (r2 + z 2 )1/2 2 2 (r2 + z 2 )1/2
p
provide a model for a long slender body of radius a = 2 m/U .