Experimental Verification of Effect of Density of the Material on Drag Coefficient for Spherical Body

Abstract

Drag coefficient is the non-dimensional parameters commonly denoted as C_D, C_X or C_W. It is used to quantify the drag or resistance of an object in a fluid such as air or water. One of the primary functions of aerodynamicists is to reduce this coefficient. The drag coefficient is used in the drag equation, where the lower drag coefficient indicates that the object will have less aerodynamics or hydrodynamic drag. The drag coefficient of any object comprises the effects of the two basic contributors to fluid dynamics drag, skin friction and form drag. This unique drag comes from the fact that the drag coefficient is a function of the reference area. Therefore, if we select a small reference area, the drag coefficient will be large, but if we choose a large reference area, the drag coefficient will be small. This paper intends to provide effect of density of materials on drag coefficient of spherical shaped body. The experiment is performed by taking sphere of concrete 50 mm diameter and sphere of rubber 60mm diameter in Wind Tunnel and drag coefficient is determined.