College of Engineering and Computer Science

Mechanical Engineering Department

Mechanical Engineering 390
Fluid Mechanics
Spring 2008 Number: 11971
Instructor: Larry Caretto

Solutions to Third Quiz Bernoulli Equation

Air is drawn from the atmosphere
into a wind tunnel that is used for
measuring drag on automobiles as
shown in the figure at the right.(1) (2) (3)
Determine (a) the manometer (2)
reading, h, when the velocity in (1)
the test section is 60 mph and (b)
the stagnation pressure on the
front of the car. Notre that there is
a 1 in column of oil on the top of
the water in the right side of the manometer, and (b) (Figure P3.27 and
problem 3.27 taken from Munson et al., Fluid Mechanics.)
We start with the Bernoulli equation written between point (1), the atmosphere from
where the air is drawn and point (2) the streamline above the right side of the
manometer. Writing Bernoullis equation between these two points gives.

g z 2 z1



p 2 p1 V22 V12
0
2
We will assume that the velocity in the atmosphere is very slow compared to that in
the wind tunnel so that V12 << V22 and can be ignored. We will further follow a
streamline at the same elevation from point 1 o to point 2 so that z 2 z1 = 0. The
pressure at point (1) is atmospheric with a gage pressure with a value of zero. The
same zero gage pressure is at the right hand side of the manometer. Neglecting the
weight of air between the streamline and the air-water interface, the manometer
balance gives the following relationship: p2 = oil(1 ft/12) waterh.

g z 2 z1

p 2 p1 V22 V12
0 0


oil (0.0833 ft ) water h 0 V22 0
0
2 air 2
Solving for h and using the definition of specific gravity gives the following equation
for h.

airV22 airV22 oil (0.0833 ft ) airV22

water h oil (0.0833 ft ) h SGoil (0.0833 ft )
2 2 water water 2 water
2
0.00238 slug 60 mi 44 ft h

ft 3 h 30 s mi
h 0.9(0.0833 ft ) h = 0.223 ft
62.4 lb f 1 slug ft
2
ft 3 lb f s 2

Jacaranda (Engineering) 3333 Mail Code Phone: 818.677.6448

E-mail: lcaretto@csun.edu 8348 Fax: 818.677.7062
 For the stagnation streamline from point (2) to point (3) we will neglect the effects of
elevation for the air flow and recognize that the velocity is zero at the stagnation
point. This gives the following result in Bernoullis equation.

p 2 p3 V22 V32 p p V 2 0 V22

0 g z 2 z3 0 2 3 2 p3 p2
2 2 2
We can find p2 from our previous equation for this pressure and the solution that h =
0.233 ft.

p 2 oil (0.0833 ft ) water h water SGoil (0.0833 ft ) h

ft 3

62.4 lb f
0.9(0.0833 ft ) 0.233 ft
p2 = 9.215 lbf/ft2
Substituting this value and the velocity of 60 mph = 88 ft/s into the stagnation pressure equation gives.
2
V22 9.215 lb f 1 0.00238 slug 88 ft lb f s
2

p3 p2
2 ft 2 2 ft 3 s 1 slug ft
P3 = 0
The zero gage pressure for the stagnation pressure is higher than the static pressure (the pressure at
point 2, which is negative. Such negative pressures are observed when a fan is used to pull air from the
atmosphere. The fan creates a vacuum that causes the air to flow.

Jacaranda (Engineering) 3333 Mail Code Phone: 818.677.6448

E-mail: lcaretto@csun.edu 8348 Fax: 818.677.7062