Function Repository Resource:

StandardDragCurve

One of the more popular functions to describe the conventional correlation for the drag on a sphere in steady motion

Contributed by: Björn Zimmermann

ResourceFunction["StandardDragCurve"][re]

gives the drag (force) coefficient on a sphere in steady motion as a function of the Reynolds number re.

Details and Options

The conventional correlation for the drag on a sphere in steady motion is presented as a graph, called the "standard drag curve", where the drag coefficient C_D is plotted as a function of the Reynolds number Re.

Many empirical or semiempirical equations have been proposed to approximate this curve.

Here, a composite of various other range-limited approximations is used.

Examples

Basic Examples (2)

Get the drag coefficient for a Reynolds number well in the laminar flow regime:

In[1]:=

Out[1]=

Plot the drag (force) coefficient as a function of the Reynolds number. Note the transition to turbulent flow near a Reynolds number of 4×10⁵:

In[2]:=

$LogLogPlot[ResourceFunction["StandardDragCurve"][re], {re, 1, 10^7}, GridLines -> {10^# & /@ Range[0, 7, 0.1], 10^# & /@ Range[-2, 3, 0.1]}, GridLinesStyle -> Directive[GrayLevel[0.9]], Frame -> True]$

Out[2]=

Version History

1.0.0 – 11 August 2020

Source Metadata

Citation:
- Clift, R., Grace, J.R., Weber, M.E., Bubbles, Drops and Particles, p. 112. New York: Academic Press, 1978

License Information

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License