THE OPTIMUM SHAPING OF AXISYMMETRIC BODIES FOR MINIMUM DRAG IN INCOMPRESSIBLE FLOW

Abstract

The hydrodynamic problem is the design of submerged minimum drag axisymmetric vehicles for a specified enclosed volume and constant speed. Drag is to be minimized. Drag reduction is to be accomplished solely through manipulation of the vehicle shape; other means of drag reduction, such as polymer injection into the boundary layer, are not considered. A drag model, valid for nonseparating flows, consists of computer programs available in the literature, representative of state-of-the-art drag prediction methods.