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Applied Aerodynamics

Lecture – (13-14)

Basic Aerodynamics
Wind Tunnels & Measurement of Air Speed

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 Wind Tunnels
Wind Tunnels: are ground based experimental facilities designed
to produce flows of air that simulate natural flows encountered
in the flight of airplanes, missiles, or space vehicles.

Based on the types of air flow required for testing of scaled

models of airplanes, missiles, or space vehicles or their parts,
there are different types of wind tunnels.

• Low Speed Subsonic wind tunnel

• Transonic wind tunnel
• Supersonic wind tunnel
• Hypersonic wind tunnel
 Low Speed Wind Tunnel
 A typicallow speed is sketched in Fig. 4.14. The airflow with pressure p1
enter the nozzle at a low velocity V1 where the area is A1. The nozzle
converges to a smaller area A2 at the test section. For low speed flow the M<1
and the flow is assumed to be incompressible. The continuity equation for
incompressible flow where , is
Thus …..(4.56)
After flowing through over the aerodynamic model of an aircraft, or its part,
the air passes into a diverging duct called a diffuser, where the area increases
to and velocity decreases to.
 Low Speed Wind Tunnel
 Again from the continuity equation,

The pressure at various locations in the wind tunnel is related to velocity

through Bernoulli’s equation for incompressible flow.

From equation (4.57), as velocity increases pressure decreases; hence

That is the test section pressure is less than the reservoir upstream of the
nozzle. In most of the subsonic wind tunnel, all or part of the test section is
open or vented to the surrounding air. In such cases p2 = 1 atm. Down stream
in the diffuser diverging area pressure increases as the velocity decreases,
hence p3 > p2 . If A3 = A1 then from Eq. (4.56), A3 = V1 and from Eq. (4.57),
p3 = p1 . In practical operation, the test section velocity is governed by the
pressure difference p1 – p2 and the area ratio of the nozzle A2/A1 as

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Low Speed Wind Tunnel
Example Problem 4.13
Example Problem 4.14

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Example Problem 4.14 cont…

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Example Problem – 4.15

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 STATIC VS. TOTAL PRESSURE
 In aerodynamics, 2 types of pressure: Static and Total (Stagnation)

 Static Pressure, p
 Due to random motion of gas molecules
 Pressure we would feel if moving along with flow
 Strong function of altitude

 Total (or Stagnation) Pressure, p0 or pt

 Property associated with flow motion
 Total pressure at a given point in flow is the pressure that would exist if
flow were slowed down isentropically to zero velocity

 p0 ≥ p

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MEASUREMENT OF AIRSPEED: INCOMPRESSIBLE FLOW

1
p  V1  p0
2

2
Static Dynamic Total
pressure pressure pressure

2 p0  p 
V1 

Incompressible Flow
 Total Pressure Measurement
TOTAL PRESSURE MEASUREMENT (4.11)

• Measures total pressure

• Open at A, closed at B

• Gas stagnated (not moving) anywhere in tube

• Gas particle moving along streamline C will be

isentropically brought to rest at point A, giving
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 Measurement of Airspeed
 Point A: Static Pressure, p
 Only random motion of gas
is measured

 Point B: Total Pressure, p0

 Flow is isentropically
decelerated to zero velocity

 A combination of p0 and p
allows us to measure V1 at a
given point
p
 Instrument is called a Pitot-
p0
static probe

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 Measurement of Airspeed: Incompressible Flow

1
p  V1  p0
2
..(4.62)
2 p
1
2
V12  p0

Static Dynamic Total

pressure pressure pressure
 Dynamic pressure is defined as:
….(4.63)
or ….(4.64)

2 p0  p 
V1  …(4.65)

Incompressible Flow
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 True vs Equivalent Airspeed

 What
  is value of ?

2 p0  p 
 If is measured in actual air around Vtrue  (4.66)
the airplane 
 Measurement is difficult to do

 Practically easier to use value at

2 p 0  p 
standard seal-level conditions,
Ve  (4.67)
 This gives an expression called s
equivalent airspeed

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Example Problem 4.16

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Subsonic Compressible Flow

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 Subsonic Compressible Flow
Consider the pitot tube in air flow as shown in Fig. 4.17

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 Subsonic Compressible Flow

Solving equation (4.74) for M

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Subsonic Compressible Flow

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Example Problem 4.17

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Example Problem 4.17 cont..

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Airspeed Measurement in Supersonic Flow

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Airspeed Measurement in Supersonic Flow

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Airspeed Measurement in Supersonic Flow

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Example Problem 4.18

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Example Problem 4.19

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Example Problem 4.19 cont..

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Example Problem 4.19 cont..

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Example Problem 4.19 cont..

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Thanks