No abstract

The drag coefficient for a family of axially symmetric ellipses of fineness ratio 4, 5 and 8 was measured using magnetically suspended models. The Reynolds number ranged up to 106. Thus, only the blockage interference is present, which may be partially allowed for by classical wind tunnel procedures. It is expected that the drag values presented here are accurate to 1%.

An aerodynamic investigation was conducted to determine the laminar-flow drag coefficient of spheres of various sizes in a subsonic wind tunnel. The tests were conducted using the M.I.T.-N.A.S.A. prototype magnetic-balance system. By measuring the drag of different sized spheres without model support interference the tunnel wall effect can be deduced. The present results indicate that the classical wind tunnel correction does not completely account for the effects of model size and wall interference. That is, the corrected drag coefficient data for the different sphere sizes differ among themselves in the region of Reynolds number overlap.A comparison of the present sphere drag results with those of numerous other investigations including free-flight and ballistic-range data is given. The drag coefficients presented here are slightly lower than those of other workers for Reynolds numbers ranging from 20 000 to 150 000, but fall between the limits of experimental scatter for Reynolds numbers from 150 000 to 260 000.An analysis of the estimated error in the present data indicates the primary source to be measurement of the wind tunnel parameters rather than errors resulting from the balance system.