AE 2020

Final Exam
July 28, 2009
(1) The drag characteristics of an airplane flying at 150 km/hr at 3,000 m are to be
investigated with the aid of a 1:3 scale model in a wind tunnel using standard air. The
variables relevant to this problem are Fd , air , air , V , L, and cair , which are the drag force,
the air density, the air viscosity, the velocity, a characteristic length (of the plane), and
the speed of sound, respectively. You may assume that
cair RairT , where 1.4 and Rair 288 J/kg K.
a. Using L, air , and V as repeating variables, develop a set of pi terms that could be
used to describe this problem.
b. What is the required air velocity in the wind tunnel to maintain Reynolds number
similarity between the two cases?
c. Under these conditions, is Mach number similarity achieved?
d. The flow can be considered incompressible for Mach numbers below 0.3. Do
you think that Mach number similarity is likely to play an important role in this
problem? Why/Why not?
e. If the drag on the wind tunnel model is 400 N, what would you expect the drag
on the airplane to be?
(2) As shown, two immiscible, incompressible, viscous fluids having the same densities but
different viscosities are confined between two infinite, horizontal, parallel plates. The
bottom plate is fixed; the top plate moves with velocity Vp 5 m s. Assume that the fluid
motion is due to the motion of the top plate only and that the pressure gradient in the
x-direction is zero. Also, assume that the viscosity of the oil and water are
oil 0.081 Pa s and water 8.94 104 Pa s , respectively. Also assume that the velocity
and the shear stress on either side of the interface of the two fluids are equal.
Determine the velocity at the interface of the two fluids.
Vp

water

oil

stationary
bottom plate

(3) As shown below, a thin flat plate 0.5 m long and 3 m wide is immersed in a steady air
flow. The air, which is at standard conditions, has a free-stream velocity of 50 m/s and
the following properties: 1.23 kg/m3 and 1.79 105 N s m.
a. Find the wall shear stress at a location 0.1 m from the leading edge of the plate.
b. Find the average skin friction coefficient, the average wall shear stress, and the
total drag on the plate.
c. Find the boundary layer thickness, the displacement thickness, and the
momentum thickness 0.25 m from the leading edge of the plate.
d. Find the velocity of the air at a location 0.25 m from the leading edge and
i. 0.0010 m from the wall of the plate,
ii. 0.0001 m from the wall of the plate, and
iii. 0.0020 m from the wall of the plate.
V

0.5 m

(4) An incompressible fluid having density and viscosity is initially at rest between two
infinite, parallel plates, which are also initially at rest. The lower plate is fixed for all
time. At time t 0, the upper plate begins moving in the positive x direction with
constant velocity up . The pressure decreases in the positive x direction, and the
pressure gradient in the x-direction is constant with magnitude C1 .
a. Draw a picture of the situation described above.
b. Determine the appropriate governing differential equations by simplifying the
Navier-Stokes and continuity equations.
c. Determine the appropriate initial and boundary conditions.
d. Assuming that the pressure gradient in the x-direction is zero, sketch the velocity
profile between the two plates immediately after the plate begins to move and
for several times after the plate begins to move.
e. Assuming that the plate velocity up is zero for all time and that the pressure
gradient is applied suddenly when t 0, sketch the velocity profile between the
two plates immediately after the pressure gradient was applied and for several
times thereafter.

U.S Standard Atmosphere Air Properties in SI Units

Geo potential
Acceleration
Altitude above Temperature
of Gravity
Sea Level
-t-go
-h( C)
(m/s2)
(m)

Absolute
Pressure
-p(104 N/m2)

Density
-(10-1 kg/m3)

Dynamic
Viscosity
-(10-5 N.s/m2)

-1000

21.50

9.810

11.39

13.47

1.821

15.00

9.807

10.13

12.25

1.789

1000

8.50

9.804

8.988

11.12

1.758

2000

2.00

9.801

7.950

10.07

1.726

3000

-4.49

9.797

7.012

9.093

1.694

4000

-10.98

9.794

6.166

8.194

1.661

5000

-17.47

9.791

5.405

7.364

1.628

6000

-23.96

9.788

4.722

6.601

1.595

7000

-30.45

9.785

4.111

5.900

1.561

8000

-36.94

9.782

3.565

5.258

1.527

9000

-43.42

9.779

3.080

4.671

1.493

10000

-49.90

9.776

2.650

4.135

1.458

15000

-56.50

9.761

1.211

1.948

1.422

20000

-56.50

9.745

0.5529

0.8891

1.422

25000

-51.60

9.730

0.2549

0.4008

1.448

30000

-46.64

9.715

0.1197

0.1841

1.475

40000

-22.80

9.684

0.0287

0.03996

1.601

50000

-2.5

9.654

0.007978

0.01027

1.704