Experimentally Determining the Shape Effect on Drag
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!