NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE

Department of Mechanical Engineering

ME2135 Fluid Mechanics II
Part 2 External Incompressible Viscous Flow
Solution to Tutorial 3
1. An airplane flies at a speed of 640 km/h
at an altitude of 3,000 m. If the
boundary layers on the wing surfaces
behave as those on a flat plate, estimate
the extent of laminar boundary layer
flow along the wing. Assume a
transitional Reynolds number of Rex,cr =
5 x 105. If the airplane maintains its 640
km/h speed but descends to sea-level
elevation, will the portion of the wing
covered by a laminar boundary layer
increase or decrease compared with its
value at 3,000 m? The kinematic
viscosity of air is 1.5 x 10-5 m2/s at sea
level. Note that at different heights, the
dynamic viscosities are approximately
the same but the densities are different.
At sea level, kinematic viscosity n =

1.

=1.5 x 105 m 2 /s
r

= 1.2 1.5 x 105 =1.8x 105 Pa s

dynamic viscosity =rn

critical Reynolds number Re x ,cr

640 103
xcr
Ux
=
5 105 = cr = 3600 5
1.5 x 10
n

x cr = 0.042m
At 3000 m, air density r3000 = 0.83 kg/m3
kinematic viscosity n =

1.8 x 105
=
=2.17 x 105 m 2 /s
r
0.83

640 103
xcr
Uxcr
5
3600
5 10 = =
critical Reynolds number Re x ,cr =
n
2.17 x 105
xcr = 0.061 m

2. Water flows at U = 1 m/s past a flat plate with L = 1 m in the flow direction. The boundary
layer is tripped so it becomes turbulent at the leading edge. Evaluate the boundary layer
thickness, , displacement thickness, *, and wall shear
stress, w, at x = L. Assume a 1/6-power turbulent
velocity profile. Develop an algebraic expression for the
variation of wall shear stress with distance along the
surface. Integrate to obtain an algebraic expression for
the total skin friction drag on the surface. Evaluate the
drag for the given conditions.

Momentum thickness
=

u
u
(1 ) dy
U
U

1/6

u
y
Velocity profile
=
U
d
1

=Y
1

1
6

where Y =

= d Y 6 (1 Y 6 ) dY
0

8
76

Y
Y6

=d

7 / 6 8 / 6

0
3

=
28
d

Momentum integral equation: t w = rU 2

3
d
28

d
dx
1

n 4
Empirical shear stress formula: t w = 0.0243rU

Ud
2

n 4
2 d
Combine: 0.0243rU 2
= rU
dx
Ud
Substitute :

3
d d
n
28
2
0.0243rU 2
= rU
dx
Ud
1
4

n 4
0.227 dx = d 4 d d
U
1

0.227

x
5

d4
n

x
=
5

U

0
4 0
1
4

n 5

d
=

0.365 x
U

At x=1 m, Re x =1m =

d
x

4
5

=
x

0.365
=
1
Ux 5

n

0.365
Re1/5
x

1 1
= 106
6
10

0.365
Re1/5
x

d = 0.023m
Displacement thickness=
d*

u
) dy
U

(1

6
Y

=d Y

7 / 6
0

1
6

= d (1 Y ) dY
0

At x=1m

d* =

1
d
7

1
0.023 = 0.0033m
7
1

n 4
Empirical shear stress formula: t w = 0.0243rU

Ud
2

106 4
At x=1 m, shear stress is t w x =1m = 0.0243 10 1
= 1.97 Pa
1 0.023
3

n
0.0329rU 2
2
=
At any x: t w = 0.0243rU
1
1/5

4
Ux

n 5 5

U 0.365 U x
n

Find friction drag from integration of shear stress : D f = bt w dx

0

1 n
Subst. shear stress: D f = b 0.031rU 2 dx
0. Ux

1/5

n
D f = b 0.031rU
U

1/5

Integrate :

1 4/5 1
x
0
4/5
1/5

106
Subst. limits : D f =1 0.031 10 1

1
3

D f = 2.45 N
3

1 4/5 4/5
(1 0 )
4/5

3. A three-bladed helicopter blade rotates at 200 rpm. If each blade is 3.6 m

long and 0.5 m wide, estimate the torque needed to overcome the friction
on the blades if they act as flat plates. For simplicity, assume laminar
boundary layer throughout but check the assumption.

Torque from drag on elemental area dA is dM=(D top +Dbottom )y

1

=2 r U 2 CDf dA y
2

where U= y
CDf =

1.328
1/2

1
2 1.328

dy y = r ( y)3/21.328n 1/2 1/2 ydy

dM=2 r U
1/2
2

2 3.142 3/2
) 1.328(1.5 105 )1/2 0.51/2 y 5/2 dy
60
0
3.6

= 1.2(200

3,6

y 7/2
= 0.418
=
y
dy
0.418
7 / 2
0

0
3.6

5/2

3.67/2
=
M=
31.7 Nm
3 0.418
7/2
Torque will be greater if boundary layer was turbulent
2 3.142
At tip, y=3.6 m. y=200
3.6 =
74.88m/s
60
U 74.88 0.5
=
=
= 2.56 106 which is greater than critical value
Re

5
n
1.5 10
Thus boundary layer is laminar at hub and turbulent at tip