IZMIR INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Department of Mechanical Engineering

ME 303 FLUID MECHANICS 2

Experiment #1:
Drag Coefficient of a Cylinder
Laboratory Sheet

Spring 2017
Experiment #1: Drag Coefficient of a Cylinder

1. Introduction
In this experiment, the drag force on a cylinder will be measured. For this purpose, a drag
force apparatus will be used with The TQ Modular Air Flow Bench, which is seen in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Drag force apparatus

The total force exerted on the cylinder due to the air flow over the cylinder body will be
measured with the use of counter weights. A detailed schematic of the test section is presented in
. [1]

Figure 1: Schematic view of the test section

2. Theory
Let FD be the drag force on the cylinder; U  , the free stream velocity of the flow;  , the air
density; D, the outer diameter of the cylinder and H, the height of the cylinder. The drag
coefficient of a cylinder is defined in Error: Reference source not found.

FD
CD 
1
U  2 DH
2
(2.1)
Experiment #1: Drag Coefficient of a Cylinder

Moreover, since the flow around the cylinder is examined, Re D , the Reynolds number based on
the diameter, is used. In the Eq. 2.2. it is given as:

U D
Re D 
 (2.2)

3. Need to Know

 Bernoulli Equation
 Drag Force and Drag Coefficient
 Flow similarity; Geometric, Kinematic and Dynamic Similarity
 Flow around a cylinder (in basic level)
Re D


4. Experimental Procedure

Cylinder 1 Cylinder 2

D [mm] 30.26 20.04

H [mm] 46.41 47.02
Figure 3: The details of the cylinder sizes

1. Measure the ambient temperature for the properties of air; density, viscosity etc.
2. Measure the mass of the cylinder 1 using the moment equilibrium equation.
3. Switch on the fan motor and adjust the fan speed. Take the measurements of
corresponding mtotal, Pairbox and P0. Repeat this step for different levels of fan speed.
4. Determine a certain velocity at the channel inlet (U ∞) and calculate the corresponding
inlet velocity for the cylinder 2 that creates the dynamic similarity between the two
cylinders. (Hint: The velocity you selected should considerably be a low velocity)
5. Repeat the steps 2-3 for the cylinder 2.
6. By using the calculated inlet velocity in the Step 4 adjust the fan speed and measure the
mtotal accordingly.
Experiment #1: Drag Coefficient of a Cylinder

5. Preparing the Report

5.1. Evaluation of the Experimental Results

1. For only one of the measurements,

 Obtain the air properties according the measured temperature. Use that temperature
in your all calculations.
 Calculate the free stream velocity.
 Calculate the drag force on the cylinder.
 Calculate the drag coefficient.
After performing these calculations and showing all your work clearly, perform these
calculations on an excel sheet and tabulate the results of your calculations.
You are recommended to use the table below to tabulate your results in your report.
 Plot the variation of drag coefficient w.r.t. dynamic pressure for each cylinder at each
velocity.
 Plot the variation of drag coefficient w.r.t. Reynolds Number for each cylinder at each
velocity.
Try to plot all the curves on a single graphic using the different markers not to waste
paper. (Not colorful print-out)
Be careful about the unit conversion in the calculations. (There are [m], [mm]; [gr],
[kg] units)
Pairbox U∞ mtotal Fdrag
D [m] H [m] P0 [mm] mcyl [gr] CD
[mm] [m/s] [gr] [N]

Cylinder 1

Pairbox U∞ mtotal Fdrag

D [m] H [m] P0 [mm] mcyl [gr] CD
[mm] [m/s] [gr] [N]

Cylinder 2
Experiment #1: Drag Coefficient of a Cylinder

2. Analyze the Step 5 in the procedure. Compare the theoretical and the experimental results
of CD values. If there is a difference between the values, what are the possible reasons of
that?
5.2. Questions

1. Investigate the flow similarity applications in the aerodynamic design. Express 3

examples, explain them briefly.

6. References
[1] T. (n.d.). Drag Measurement on Cylindrical Bodies [PDF]. Nottingham: TecQuipment.

[2] Cover Image

(2017, April 4). Schuberth Wind tunnel testing Schumacher's helmet [digital image]
Retrieved from http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/photo-gallery/schuberth-c3-flip-up-helmet/