Mar 15, 2022
The Flying Dutchman
Model of a container ship in wire suspension in the test section of the boundary layer wind tunnel (because of the displacement thickness of the boundary layer on the floor, the model is suspended with a slight elevation.)
On the 9th of March, a group of students from the highschool Martin-Andersen-Nexö visited the windtunnel to investigate their ideas concerning drag reduction on the model of a contaier ship. As shown in the image, an inclined front has been installed upstream of the payload. This kind of shape is typical for modern passenger liners, too. Within an straight flow (no cross wind) a significant reduction of the drag of the part above the waterline can be observed.
Due to the very small forces that had been expected, no suitable balance was available. That's why the model was suspended with wires. Drag has been determined by means of the deflection of the whole model like a pendulum. In addition, some flow visualisation using fog as well as wool threads has been done.
Student group with ship model