13.

021 – Marine Hydrodynamics, Fall 2004

Lecture 5

c 2004 MIT - Department of Ocean Engineering, All rights reserved.

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13.021 - Marine Hydrodynamics

Lecture 5

Chapter 2 - Similitude
Similitude: Similarity of behavior of different systems.

Real world ↔ “model”

(prototype) (physical experiment, mathematical, computer, . . . )

Similarity Parameters (SP’s)

Geometric Similitude length ratios
Kinematic Similitude Displacement ratios, velocity ratios
Dynamic (Internal Constitution) Force ratios, stress ratios, pressure ratios
..
.
Internal Constitution Similitude ρ, ν
Boundary Condition Similitude
..
.
| {z }
For similitude, similarity parameters (SP’s) required
to be the same for the model and the real world

2.1 - Dimensional Analysis (DA) to Obtain Similarity Parameters (SP’s)

Buckingham’s π theory:
Reduce number of variables → derive dimensionally homogeneous relationships.

1. Specify (all) the (say N) relevant variables (dependent or independent): x1 , x2 , . . . xN

e.g. time, force, fluid density, distance. . .
We want to relate the xi ’s to each other I( x1 , x2 , . . . xN ) = 0

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2. Identify (all) the (say P) relevant basic physical units (“dimensions”)
e.g. M,L,T (P = 3) [temperature, charge, . . . ].

3. Let π = xα1 1 xα2 2 . . . xαNN be a dimensionless quantity formed from the xi ’s. Suppose

x1 = Ci M mi Lli T ti , i = 1, 2, . . . , N
where the Ci are dimensionless constants. For example, if x1 = KE = 12 M V 2 = 21 M 1 L2 T −2 (kinetic
energy), we have that C1 = 21 , m1 = 1, l1 = 2, t1 = −2. Then

π = (C1α1 C2α2 . . . CNαN )M α1 m1 +α2 m2 +...+αN mN Lα1 l1 +α2 l2 +...+αN lN T α1 t1 +α2 t2 +...+αN tN
For π to be dimensionless, we require
 

 z }| {
N


 


 αi mi = 0  
P αi li = 0 aP × N system of Linear Equations (1)

 


 αi ti = 0 


 | {z } 
Σ notation

Since (1) is homogeneous, it always has a trivial solution,

αi ≡ 0, i = 1, 2, . . . , N (i.e.π is constant)
There are 2 possibilities:

(a) (1) has no nontrivial solution (only solution is π = constant, i.e. independent of xi ’s), which
implies that the N variable xi , i = 1, 2, . . . , N are Dimensionally Independent (DI), i.e. they
are ”unrelated” and ”irrelevant” to the problem.
(b) (1) has J(J > 0) nontrivial solutions, π1 , π2, . . . , πJ . In general, J < N , in fact, J = N − K
where K is the rank or ”dimension” of the system of equations (1).

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Model Law:
Instead of relating the N xi ’s by I(x1 , x2 , . . . xN ) = 0, relate the J π’s by

F (π1 , π2 , . . . πJ ) = 0, where J = N − K < N

For similitude, we require

(πmodel )j = (πprototype )j where j = 1, 2, . . . , J.

If 2 problems have all the same πj ’s, they have similitude (in the πj senses), so π’s serve as similarity
parameters.

Note:

• If π is dimensionless, so is constant × π, π const , 1/π , etc. . .

• If π1 , π2 are dimensionless, so is π1 × π2 , π1
π2
, π1const1 × π2const2 , etc. . .

In general, we want the set (not unique) of independent πj ’s, for e.g., π 1 , π 2 , π 3 or π 1 , π 1 × π 2 , π 3 , but
not π 1 , π 2 , π 1 × π 2 .

Example:
Application of Buckingham π Theory.

U
ρ,υ D

Figure 1: Force on a smooth circular cylinder in steady incompressible fluid (no gravity)

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 xi : F, U, D, ρ, ν → N = 5
xi = ci M mi Lli T ti → P = 3

N =5
z }| {
F U D ρ ν
P=3 mi 1 0 0 1 0
li 1 1 1 -3 2
ti -2 -1 0 0 -1

π = F α1 U α2 Dα3 ρα4 ν α5
For π to be non-dimensional, the set of equations

αi mi =0
αi li =0
αi ti =0

has to be satisfied. The system of equations above after we substitute the values for the mi ’s, li ’s and
ti ’s assume the form:
 
  α 1  
1 0 0 1 0  α2  0
 
 1 1 1 −3 2     0 
 α3  =
−2 −1 0 0 −1  α4  0
α5
The rank of this system is K = 3, so we have j = 2 nontrivial solutions. Two families of solutions for αi
for each fixed pair of (α4 , α5 ), exists a unique solution for (α1 , α2 , α3 ). We consider the pairs (α4 = 1,
α5 = 0) and (α4 = 0, α5 = 1), all other cases are linear combinations of these two.

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 1. Pair α4 = 1 and α5 = 0.
    
1 0 0 α1 −1
 0 1 0   α2  =  4 
0 0 1 α3 2
which has solution
   
α1 −1
 α2  =  2 
α3 2

α1 α2 ρU 2 D2
α3 α4 α5
∴ π1 = F U D ρ ν =
F
Conventionally, π1 → 2π1−1 F
and ∴ π1 = 1 ρU 2 D2 ≡ Cd , which is the Drag coefficient.
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2. Pair α4 = 0 and α5 = 1.
    
1 0 0 α1 0
 0 1 0   α2  =  −2 
0 0 1 α3 −1
which has solution
   
α1 0
 α2  =  −1 
α3 −1
υ
∴ π2 = F α1 U α2 Dα3 ρα4 υ α5 =
UD
Conventionally, π2 → π2−1 , ∴ π2 = UD
υ
≡ Re , which is the Reynolds number.

Therefore,

F (π1 , π2 ) = 0 or π1 = f (π2 )
F (Cd , Re ) = 0 or Cd = f (Re )
F ( 1 ρUF2 D2 , UνD ) = 0 or 1 ρUF2 D2 = f ( UνD )
2 2