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Fluid Friction

Fluid friction, also known as drag, is a force that opposes the motion of an object moving through a fluid. There are four main types of friction, with fluid friction occurring between liquids and gases. The drag force is proportional to some function of the object's velocity and depends on factors like its shape, size, and the surrounding fluid. Streamlining is important for reducing drag in applications like transportation, athletics, and evolution, where organisms adapt shapes that decrease fluid resistance.

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Edgar Ubalde
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616 views18 pages

Fluid Friction

Fluid friction, also known as drag, is a force that opposes the motion of an object moving through a fluid. There are four main types of friction, with fluid friction occurring between liquids and gases. The drag force is proportional to some function of the object's velocity and depends on factors like its shape, size, and the surrounding fluid. Streamlining is important for reducing drag in applications like transportation, athletics, and evolution, where organisms adapt shapes that decrease fluid resistance.

Uploaded by

Edgar Ubalde
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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FLUID FRICTION

There are four types of friction:


1.Static 2. Sliding 3. Rolling 4. Fluid friction.

Static, sliding, and rolling friction occur between


solid surfaces.
Fluid friction occurs in liquids and gases
Drag (AKA fluid resistance or fluid friction) is a force
acting opposite to the relative motion of any object
moving with respect to a surrounding fluid.

This is the fluid adjusting to the increased pressure


caused by the moving object, the air moves away from
the object.
Like friction, the drag force always opposes the motion
of an object. Unlike simple friction, the drag force is
proportional to some function of the velocity of the
object in that fluid.
This functionality is complicated and depends upon the
shape of the object, its size, its velocity, and the fluid it is
in.
For most large objects such as bicyclists, cars, and
baseballs not moving too slowly, the magnitude of
the drag force FD is found to be proportional to the
square of the speed of the object.
We can write this relationship mathematically as
F𝐷 ∝ v²
V 2
FD  CA
2
Where,
𝐹𝐷 is the drag force
C is the drag coefficient
A is the reference area
𝜌 is the density of fluid
V is the flow velocity relative to the
object
Skin Friction
In general, when a fluid flows over a stationary surface.
This type of drag force, depends especially on the
geometry, the roughness or smoothness of the solid
surface and on the type of fluid flow.
Form Drag. AKA pressure drag

The general size and shape of the body are the most
important factors in form drag. In general, bodies
with a larger geometric cross-section will have a
higher drag than thinner bodies.
If we compare animals living on land with those in
water, you can see how drag has influenced
evolution.
Fishes, dolphins, and even massive whales are
streamlined in shape to reduce drag forces.
Birds are streamlined and migratory species that
fly large distances often have particular features
such as long necks.
Flocks of birds fly in the shape of a spear head as the flock forms a
streamlined pattern.

In humans, one important example of streamlining is the shape of


sperm, which need to be efficient in their use of energy
Athletes as well as car designers seek to reduce the drag force
to lower their race times. “Aerodynamic” shaping of an
automobile can reduce the drag force and so increase a car’s
gas mileage.

From racing cars to bobsled racers, aerodynamic shaping is


crucial to achieving top speeds. Bobsleds are designed for
speed. They are shaped like a bullet with tapered fins.
Drag coefficient is a dimensionless quantity.
At highway speeds, over 50% of the power of a
car is used to overcome air drag. The most fuel-
efficient cruising speed is about 70–80 kph.
Substantial research is under way in the sporting world
to minimize drag. The dimples on golf balls are
being redesigned as are the clothes that athletes
wear. Bicycle racers and some swimmers and
runners wear full bodysuits.
Most elite swimmers (and cyclists) shave their body
hair. Such innovations can have the effect of slicing
away milliseconds in a race, sometimes making the
difference between a gold and a silver medal.
In skydiving, the drag force 𝐹𝐷 is proportional to the
speed, a heavier skydiver must go faster for 𝐹𝐷 to
equal his weight.
At the terminal velocity, 𝐹𝑛𝑒𝑡 = mg−𝐹𝐷 = ma = 0
Thus, mg = 𝐹𝐷
At terminal velocity, 𝐹𝑛𝑒𝑡 = 0.
Thus the drag force on the skydiver must equal the
force of gravity on the person’s weight.

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