Air and Airflow

Air Resistance or DRAG

Effect of Streamlining

Air Resistance
: Drag in aviation;
Reduce as much as possible.
Drag
FORM
(Flat Plate)

: Is due to FORM (pressure)

and SKIN (surface)
: In front high pressure
(above normal)
Reduced pressure
(below normal) behind.
Flow bifurcates in front,
A stagnation point of
highest pressure and
no movement.

Streamlines

: Lines showing the

direction of flow of a
fluid at any particular
moment.
Succeeding molecules
follow the same path.

Streamlined Shape
resistance,

: Minimum
Fineness Ratio of 3 to 4,
Maximum thickness at
about 1/3 rd distance

Skin Friction

: Due to viscosity,
Air at surface is
brought to almost
stand still.
Gradual increase till
free air speed.
Increases with
increase in speed

Boundary Layer

: Layer in which this

change in speed occurs
Thickness, more in turbulent layer

Laminar Flow

: One molecule follows

another

Turbulent Flow : Haphazard, more energy,

Transition Point

: Where flow changes

from laminar to turbulent.
Moves forward with
increase in speed

Bernoullis
Equation

: P + V + gz = Constant
2

Where P is pressure, is density,

V is velocity, g is gravity constant
and z is change in height
If change in height is negligible,
gz can be ignored.
Then

P + V = Constant

P is Static and V is Dynamic pressure

Stagnation pressure
=
Static pressure
+
Dynamic pressure

Resistance
Depends on

: Shape of the body

Frontal area of the body
Square of velocity
Density of air

Resistance = Ksv where V is the velocity

K is constant including for shape of body
is the density of air, S is the frontal area
OR = 2k vs
OR = C vs
Where C is the co-efficient (constant)
v is the dynamic pressure and
s is the frontal area.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
AIRSPEEEDS
Indicated Airspeed (IAS). ASI (Pressure
Gauge)
True Airspeed (TAS). Corrected for
Density error as well.
Ground Speed (GS). TAS corrected for
local winds.