Ira H. A. Abbott
Published: 1937
Total Pages: 576
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Results are presented on drag tests of six bodies of revolution with systematically varying shapes and with a fineness ratio of 5. The formes were derived from source-sink distributions, and formulas are presented for the calculation of the pressure distributions of the forms. The tests were made in the N.A.C.A. variable-density tunnel over a range of values of Reynolds number from about 1,500,000 to 25,000,000. The results show that the bodies with the sharper noses and tails have the lowest drag coefficients are based on the two-thirds power of the volume. The data show the most important single characteristic of the body form to be the tail angle, which must be fine to obtain low drag.