Fluid dynamics

Question 1

Explain drag and lift in fluid flow

Answer 1

Drag is the force that a fluid exerts on the surface of the fluid flow that is in the direction of the flow. Lift is the force that a fluid exerts on a surface that is perpendicular to the direction of the flow.

Question 2

Explain the drag coefficient and the lift coefficient

Answer 2

D_c & L_c are dimensionless numbers that represent the drag and lift characteristics of a body in a fluid flow. It is calculated from drag force/(0.5*density*velocity²*Area).

Different shapes such as a sphere and a cone of a given angle have different experimentally determined drag coefficients.