Hydrodynamic stability of flow over Kramer-type compliant surface

• Main Author: Tan, Shi Nguan.
• Other Authors: Seah Leong Keey
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Mechanical engineering::Fluid mechanics
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/16684
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

In previous Final Year Projects, silicone rubber was used as a compliant coating which was wrapped around the test model. Similar experiments to Kramer’s were done to test for drag reduction. Although direct force measurement was not taken, the collated pressure coefficient was able to indicate if the flow was laminar or turbulent. However, complexity in taking readings arose during these projects. Thus, a pressure switch was designed to simplify the experiment process. The development began with five conceptual designs and the matrix evaluation table was then used to select the final design. It was fabricated and assembled to the required dimensions. The pressure switch was tested prior to and during the experiment to validate its functionality. Reynolds number was calculated to test the flow regime and was used to determine the drag coefficients. Comparison of pressure coefficient results with the previous studies was done to test the functionality of the pressure switch. Results show that the pressure switch was able to channel water into the correct tube without any leakage. Results also prove that velocity is indirectly proportional to pressure. Graphs were plotted for a better visual of the turbulent flow. In addition, a simple flow visualization was also done to show that the flows increase the turbulence as velocity increases, which substantiate the pressure readings taken earlier.