An Alternate Means to Form Non-Dimensional Products in Dimensional Analysis

Abstract

Dimensional analysis is taught early in an undergraduate curriculum for mechanical engineering, usually during the very first course in fluid mechanics. Such analysis has its roots in the work of Lord Rayleigh, and the mechanics of the process as typically taught to undergraduates follows directly from the classic paper due to Buckingham on what is now known as the Pi Theorem. This paper is intended to disseminate an alternate technique for forming non-dimensional products that is due to Prof. B. S. Massey of University College, London called the "step-by-step method" to a wider audience and thus to encourage the adoption of the technique for use in undergraduate curricula.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 20, 2023
Accession Number
AD1200663

Entities

People

  • John P. Clark

Organizations

  • Air Force Research Laboratory

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Air Force Research Laboratories
  • Boundaries
  • Boundary Layer
  • Boundary Layer Transition
  • Engineering
  • Fluid Dynamics
  • Fluid Flow
  • Fluid Mechanics
  • Heat Transfer
  • Layers
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Mechanics
  • Reynolds Number
  • Turbines
  • Turbulence
  • Vortex Shedding

Readers

  • Aviation Science / Aeronautics.
  • Calculus or Mathematical Analysis
  • Fluid Dynamics.