Measurements of Drag Coefficients of Spheres in Unsteady Flows Induced by a Propagating Shock Wave

Abstract

The drag coefficient measurements of spherical particles (5.53, 5.88 and 12.68 mm in diameter) in unsteady flows induced by a propagating shock wave were perfomed using a shock tube facility. The Mach number of the shock wave was set to be 1.3. The trajectories of the spherical particles were recorded using the shadowgraphy with a high-speed video camera. Based on the experimental results, the drag coefficients of the spheres were calculated. The drag coefficients of spheres in unsteady flows were found to be larger than the standard drag coefficienets in steady flows.