Dimensional Analysis

An Important Example from Fluid Mechanics: Viscous Shear Forces

t
d

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= F/A = V/d
 More generally, the viscous shear stress may be written in terms of the local
velocity gradient as,

yx = du/dy

(shear force in the x-direction, acting on a plane normal to the y-direction)

The viscosity is often called the absolute or dynamic viscosity to

distinguish it from the kinematic viscosity = /, where is the fluid density
(g/cm3).

The cgs unit of viscosity, called the poise, is 1 g/(cms); the mks unit is the
stoke 1 kg/(ms)
 The Reynolds numberan important dimensionless
parameter
The Reynolds number is a qualitative expression of the ratio of inertial to
viscous forces

The mass flow rate per unit area (g cm-2 s-1) is the product of the fluid density
(g/cm3) and the fluid velocity V (cm/s)

The momentum flux is the product of the mass flow rate per unit area, V,
and the fluid velocity V
The momentum flux (inertial force per unit area) = V2

The viscous force per unit area is yx = du/dy = V/d

The Reynolds number is V2/(V/d) = Vd/

 Flow direction

Uniform flow past a circular cylinder at Re=Vd/=0.16. In the limit as

Re0 (purely viscous flow) the flow has fore-and-aft symmetry.
Circular cylinder at Re=1.54. At this Reynolds number the flow has lost
its fore-and-aft symmetry.
Circular cylinder at Re=9.6. The flow has separated from the cylinder
surface to form a pair of recirculating eddies.
Circular cylinder at Re=13.1. The standing eddies become elongated
along the flow direction as the Reynolds number increases.
Circular cylinder at Re=26.
Sphere at Re=118. The wake grows more slowly for this axisymmetric
flow than for the planar flow around a cylinder.
cylinder

Von Krmn vortex street in the wake of a cylinder at Re=140

cylinder

Von Krmn vortex street in the wake of a cylinder at Re=140

Circular cylinder at Re=2000. At this Reynolds number a thin
boundary layer is well-defined. The boundary layer is laminar over the
front, separates and breaks up into a turbulent wake.
 The Boundary Layer

The effects of viscosity are largely confined to a thin layer extending

along the cylinder surfaces from the upstream stagnation point to the points of
flow separation.

This thin surface layer of slowly moving fluid is known as the boundary
layer, a concept originating with the studies of Prandtl in the early 1900s.

Viscosity also plays a role in a detailed description of the motion of the

fluid within the recirculating wake region.
Circular cylinder at Re=10,000. The flow pattern remains similar for
Re50,000. Thereafter the boundary layer becomes turbulent and
separation is postponed, reducing the size of the wake and causing an
abrupt reduction in drag (ca. Re=300,000).
 Dimensional Analysis

Four Physical parameters:

a) The viscosity , with the dimensions g/(cms)

b) The free-stream fluid velocity V (cm/s)

c) The flow has a characteristic length scale provided by the

diameter d of the cylinder or sphere

d) It is also clear that another parameter containing a mass must be

involved; this is the density (g/cm3) of the fluid.

From these four physical parameters, containing among them the three
dimensions M, L, T, we can form the dimensionless Reynolds number

Red = Vd/
.
Now suppose we introduce an additional parameter, namely, the drag

force Fd exerted by the fluid on the cylinder or sphere. This will lead to

a second dimensionless quantity, the drag coefficient,

CD = (Fd/A)/(V2/2)

By convention the area A refers to the forward projected area of the

body immersed within the flow.

In general, if a problem depends on N parameters containing M dimensions,
then there are N-M independent dimensionless ratios linked by a unique
functional relationship.

In the present case, the N parameters are , V, d, , and Fd, which contain
among them the three dimensions mass, length, and time. We desire the
functional relationship that links two dimensionless ratios CD and Red, i.e.,

CD = CD(Red)

Once this relationship is known then we may calculate the drag force Fd by
computing CD for any desired Reynolds number, Red.
 In principle this relationship is given by theoretical solution of the
equations that govern the motion of a viscous fluid (the Navier-Stokes
equations).

In reality the flow field around a cylinder or sphere, for an arbitrarily

chosen Reynolds number, is, in general, quite complicated and even
numerical solutions are beyond the capabilities of present computer
technology.

However, the use of dimensional analysis enables the experimenter to

readily determine the relationship CD(Red). Because CD depends only on
Red, dimensional analysis tells us that it is unnecessary to carry out drag
measurements for four independent variables (, V, d, and ); the
experimenter need only vary Red with any convenient choices of the
parameters , V, d, and .

This provides a tremendous economy of effort. Moreover, once CD(Red)

has been determined, this is a universal relationship that will apply to a
sphere of arbitary diameter, immersed in any fluid (air, water, glycerine,
motor oil, molasses, etc.) moving with any velocity consistent with the range
of Red over which CD(Red) is known
For Stokes flow Fd = 3Vd
 Dimensionless Quantities
(set = to unity to define length and energy scales)
(length scale) we set this quantity equal to unity. Then

the energy scale

Radiation from an Accelerating Charge
Vortex Shedding; the Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster of 1940
 Consider the shedding of vortices in the wake of a cylinder of
diameter d. Assume the physical quantities responsible for the
shedding are: d, V, , , and . V is the wind velocity, and are
the viscosity and density of air and is the vortex shedding
frequency.
The five physical quantities contain among them the 3 dimensions,
M, L, T. The number of independent dimensionless groups is
therefore 5-3=2.
Two independent groups are Vd/ and d/V, the Reynolds and
Strouhal numbers, respectively.
The dependence of the Strouhal number on the Reynolds number
would be established by choosing parameters in any convenient
manner such that each number is varied over a wide range. An
approach, suited for measurements in a given fluid with fixed values
for and , would be to vary both the Reynolds and Strouhal
numbers by varying V and d while observing changes in .
Capillary Waves
Spherical Blast Wave
Poiseuilles Law
Hull Speed