Experimentally Determining the Shape Effect on Drag

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Project information

  • Category: Experimental Research
  • Collaboration Level: Individual
  • Project date: May, 2024
  • Paper Access: Click Here

Description

In Physics 3010, I designed an experiment to measure drag coefficients of vertical foils with different shapes. Using a custom-built tank and track system, I pulled blades through water and measured their velocities. This project taught me about the importance of experimental design, precision in data collection, and the complexities of fluid dynamics.

Video: Sample Trial

I tested three blade shapes: flat front, rounded front, and sharp front, all with the same frontal area and length. Using a custom-built tank and track system, I measured how much force was needed to pull each blade through water at different speeds. By analyzing these forces and velocities, I calculated each blade’s drag coefficient and used the results to extrapolate which shapes are most efficeint. To measure the velocity I analyzed videos of the blade traveling over a fixed distance like the one shown to the right!