Appendices

Method I Stokes law

For small amplitude oscillations, some authors take into account the drag force (damping
force), which is proportional to the velocity i,ii,iii.

For small Reynolds numbers (Re 1) , the drag force is proportional to speed, v , and it
is given by Stokes law:

dx
F D =3 dv=3 d (9)
dt

We will use Stokes law for modelling the oscillatory system, as a first approximation, and then
verify if this model gives acceptable results for the viscosity fluid.

If we substitute equation (9) in equation (7), and divide all by me , we get:

( )
3
2 m e f d
d x 3 d dx g 6
dt
2
+2
( +
2 me dt L ) me
x=0 (10)

Therefore, the differential equation of motion (10) is in the general form:

2
x+ 2b x + 0 x=0 (11)

where 0 is the natural frequency of the harmonic oscilator and b is the damping constant.
These constants are given by:

3 d
b= (12)
2me

1 3
me f d
2 g 6 (13)
0=
L me

The solution of equation (11) depends on the relation between 0 and biv.
 2
b
For oscillations in a low viscosity medium, 20 > 0 and the general solution of equation
4
(11) is:

x= A ebt cos ( t) (14)

where A, and are the amplitude, phase and angular frequency, respectively.
The body has an underdamped simple harmonic motion 4,6,v,vi and the oscillation frequency of
the damped oscillator differs from its natural frequency 0 and it is given by:

= 20 b2 (15)

It was concluded by previous papers3,11,vii that Stokes law has limitations. In fact, the obtained
viscosities are much greater than the real ones, for oscillation movements. This limitation is
due to the fact Stokes law requires not only a small Reynolds number but also a stationary
motion16, which doesnt happen in the damped oscillatory case.

Method II LandauLifshitz model

Lev Landau and Evgeny Lifshitz developed the theory for a mass that oscillates in a container of
infinite dimensions and with a small amplitude, compared to the size of the object (diameter,
d ), even when Reynolds number is large. In our study, these conditions are applied, since
A 4,2 mm and d = 19,04 mm. The drag force is given by:viii,ix

2
d dx 3 d d x
F D =6 r 1+( )
+ d 2 1+
2 dt 4 9(f 2
dt ) (16)

In the above equation, the first term on the right represents the velocity-dependent viscous
drag. At zero frequency, the term reduces to Stokes law. The second term, which contains the
acceleration as a factor, represents an inertial force, due to the fluid that moves together with
the sphere and denotes the penetration depth defined by:

=
2
f
(17)
The penetration depth is used as estimation for the thickness of the boundary layer around the
sphere.

If we substitute equation (16) in equation (7), well get an equation with a solution in the form
of equation (14), with the damping constant, b , given by:

3 d
d(1+ )
2 2
b= (18)
3 d
2
m e + d 1+
4 (
9 f )
The application of this model should give better values for the viscosity than those given by
Stokes law4.

Method III- LandauLifshitz model + Corrective term

In the case of a finite container it becomes necessary to add a corrective term 5,x, in Eq. (16).
This term has to do with the first order border effects of the size of a finite container diameter.

[ ( )
F D = 6 r 1+
d dx 3
+ d 2 1+
2 dt 4
d
(
9
d2 x
)
f 2 1+2.1
dt
d
D ]( ) (19)

where D is the diameter of the cylindrical container. According to this approach, if we

3 d d
b=
2
d 1+ (
2
1+2.1)(
D ) (20)
3 d d
2
me + d 1+
4 ( ) (
1+2.1
9 f D)
We use this corrective term, from Chen and Wang 18, because it does not depends on the
speed. Therefore, the equations continue relatively simple, making it possible to obtain exact
solutions for the resulting differential equation of motion through elementary methods.
i . D. A. M. Martins, A. Silveira-Neto, and V. Steffen Jr., A pendulum-based model for fluid structure interaction analyses, Thermal Engineering 6,
p.76-83 (Dec. 2007).

ii . L. F. C. Zonetti, A. S. S. Camargo, J. Sartori, D. F. de Sousa and L. A. O. Nunes, A demonstration of dry and viscous damping of an oscillating
pendulum. Eur. J. Phys. 20, 85-88, (1999).

iii . M. S. Greenwood, F. Fazio, M. Russoto and A. Wilkosz, Using videotapes to study damped harmonic motion and to measure terminal speeds:
A laboratory project,. Am. J. Phys. 54, 897-904, (Oct. 1986).

iv. French A. P. Vibrations and waves (New York: Norton & Campany)

v . D. Neill, D. Livelybrooks and R. J. Donnelly, A pendulum experiment on added mass and the principle of equivalence, Am. J. Phys. 75, 226-
229, (Mar. 2007).

vi. D. Kleppner, R. J. Kolenkow, An Introduction to Mechanics, McGraw-Hill, International Editions, 1978, p. 415.

vii R. C. Greenhow, A mechanical resonance experiment with fluid dynamic undercurrents, Am. J. Phys., 56, 352-357, (Apr. 1988).

viii. L. D. Landau and E. M. Lifshitz , Fluid Mechanics, 2nd ed., (Pergamon Press, 1987), pp. 83-90.

ix . A. M. Leshansky and J. F. Brady, Force on a sphere via the generalized reciprocal theorem, 16, number 3, 843-844,(Mar- 2004)

x . S. T. Chen and S. C. Wang, Experimental determination among available theories describing the drag force exerting on steel spheres and Cu
and Al cylinders moving in a viscous fluid, Phys. Scr. 70, 349-353 (2004)