Streamlines and streamtubes
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Streamlines show the path a massless fluid element would travel over time, instantaneously tangent to the velocity vector. Vehicles experience air resistance from friction with air that increases with speed, limiting top speed to when engine force balances air resistance. Streamlining a vehicle reduces air resistance by allowing air to flow over more easily, decreasing frictional forces. Streamtubes are bundles of streamlines pulled from a general flow that are useful for analyzing fluid motion through various shapes encountered in applications like vehicle design.
Streamlines and streamtubes
- 2. Streamlines are a family of curves that are instantaneously tangent to the velocityy vector of the flow. These show the direction a massless fluid element will travel in at any point in time.
- 4. Air Resistance Vehicles experience air resistance as they move - caused by the frictional forces of the air against the vehicle. The faster the vehicle moves, the bigger the air resistance becomes (top speed is reached when the force from the engine is balanced by air resistance) Reduce the air resistance and you will go faster - streamlining allows the air to flow over more easily so air resistance is reduced
- 5. Resistance caused by fluid for various shapes
- 6. If we pull out a bundle of streamlines from inside of a general flow for analysis. Such a bundle is called stream tube and is very useful in analysing flows.
- 8. Applications of streamlining and streamtubes