07/12/2015

engineeringcivil.com

Similitudeforphysicalmodels

http://www.engineeringcivil.com/similitudeforphysicalmodels.html

Similitudeforphysicalmodels
Aphysicalmodelisasystemwhoseoperationcanbeusedtopredictthecharacteristicsofasimilar
system,orprototype,usuallymorecomplexorbuilttoamuchlargerscale.Amodelcanbeeithersmaller
orbiggerthantherealconstruction.Itisbelievedthatmodelisalwayssmallerbutthatisnottruealways
forexampleifwewanttomakeaverysmallcomputerchipthentoillustrateitsfunctionproperlythemodel
ismadebiggerascomparedtotheoriginalchip.
Ratiosoftheforcesofgravity,viscosity,andsurfacetensiontotheforceofinertiaaredesignated,Froude
number,Reynoldsnumber,andWebernumber,respectively.EquatingtheFroudenumberofthemodel
andtheFroudenumberoftheprototypeensuresthatthegravitationalandinertialforcesareinthesame
proportion.Similarly,equatingtheReynoldsnumbersofthemodelandprototypeensuresthattheviscous
andinertialforcesareinthesameproportion.EquatingtheWebernumbersensuresproportionalityof
surfacetensionandinertialforces.
F=V/(Lg)1/2
where
F=Froudenumber(dimensionless)
V=velocityoffluid,ft/s(m/s)
L=lineardimension(characteristic,suchasdepthordiameter),ft(m)
g=accelerationduetogravity,32.2ft/s2(9.81m/s2)
Forhydraulicstructures,suchasspillwaysandweirs,wherethereisarapidlychangingwatersurface
profile,thetwopredominantforcesareinertiaandgravity.Therefore,the
Froudenumbersofthemodelandprototypeareequated:
F m=F p
Vm/(Lmg)1/2=Vp/(Lpg)1/2
Viscousforcesareusuallypredominantwhenflowoccursinaclosedsystem,suchaspipeflowwhere
thereisnofreesurface.ThefollowingrelationsareobtainedbyequatingReynoldsnumbersofthemodel
andprototype:

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