A Study of The Height of Suspension of Lightweight Objects in A Steady Air Stream

Abstract

The ongoing advancement of fluid mechanics has led to its implementation in a multitude of fields, including aerospace and agriculture. Nevertheless, there remains a gap in the study of the steady-state levitation height of lightweight objects. The objective of this study is to examine the correlation between the levitation heights of diverse lightweight objects in a steady state and their respective masses, dimensions, and shapes. Furthermore, the study will compare experimental data with theoretical data and utilize computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation to ascertain the drag coefficients. It was found that the levitation position of the sphere is inversely proportional to the sphere's own weight, directly proportional to the characteristic area of the gas flowing through the sphere (represent by the sphere's diameter in the experiments), and directly proportional to the approaching flow velocity. Additionally, the resistance of the CFD simulation was found to be close to the self-gravity force, which serves to verify the accuracy of the physical model.