12.6: d'Alembert's Paradox
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In ideal inviscid incompressible flows, the movement of body does not encounter any resistance. This result is known as d'Alembert's Paradox, and this paradox is examined here. Supposed that a two–dimensional diamond–shape body is stationed in a supersonic flow as shown in Figure 12.27.
Fig. 12.27 A simplified diamond shape to illustrate the supersonic d'Alembert's Paradox.
Again, it is assumed that the fluid is inviscid. The net force in flow direction, the drag, is
D=2(w2(P2−P4))=w(P2−P4)
It can be observed that only the area that "seems'' to be by the flow was used in expressing equation (38). The relation between P2 and P4 is such that the flow depends on the upstream Mach number, M1, and the specific heat, k. Regardless in the equation of the state of the gas, the pressure at zone 2, P2, is larger than the pressure at zone 4, P4. Thus, there is always drag when the flow is supersonic which depends on the upstream Mach number, M1, specific heat, k, and the "visible'' area of the object. This drag is known in the literature as (shock) wave drag.
Contributors and Attributions
Dr. Genick Bar-Meir. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or later or Potto license.