Base pressure prediction in bluff-body potential-flow models

Abstract

In a recent study by Yeung & Parkinson (1997), a wake width was proposed which allowed the bluff-body potential-flow model by Parkinson & Jandali (1970) to be extended to include the flow around an oblique flat plate. By incorporating this wake width in the momentum equation originally derived by Eppler (1954) for separated flow, the drag of the plate is related to its inclination and base pressure through a simple analytical condition. It allows the base pressure, which is usually treated as an empirical input, to be determined theoretically and thus the model becomes self-contained. Predictions of the base pressure, drag and width of wake are found to be in reasonable agreement with the experimental data. When applied to the symmetrical flow around a wedge of arbitrary vertex angle, similar agreement with experimental measurements is obtained as well. It is also demonstrated that this condition is compatible with the free-streamline models by Wu (1962) and Wu & Wang (1964) such that the corresponding predictions are in good agreement with experiment.