Drag Augmentation of a Sphere in High-Speed Multi-Phase Flow

Drag Augmentation of a Sphere in High-Speed Multi-Phase Flow | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Drag Augmentation of a Sphere in High-Speed Multi-Phase Flow Antonio Giovanni Schöneich, Stuart J. Laurence This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8403892/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 9 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The impact of a gas/liquid two-phase flow onthe drag of a sphere at supersonic conditions is investigated experimentally. The freestream of a Mach-4 Ludwieg tube is seeded with monodisperse liquid Di-Ethyl-Hexyl-Sebacate (DEHS) droplets with diameters ranging from 7μm to 16μm, to simulate a cloud-like environment. A free-flight methodology is employed, whereby the spheres are released impulsively into the freestream and allowed to respond to the experienced forces unhindered. Sphere trajectories are recorded using a high-speed bi-telecentric visualization system, from which drag accelerations can be accurately derived. Initial theoretical estimates of drag augmentation based on the increased effective density of the particle-laden flow yield increases of the order of 0.1% in comparison to an equivalent clean flow; however, the experimental measurements indicate a drag increment of more than an order of magnitude higher, up to approximately 4%. Particle simulations indicate that the majority of the droplets at the present conditions are impacting the sphere surface supersonically, suggesting that shock impingement and/or the water-hammer effect may be responsible for the unexpectedly high drag increase. Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 10 Feb, 2026 Reviews received at journal 04 Feb, 2026 Reviews received at journal 26 Jan, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 08 Jan, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 Jan, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 06 Jan, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 22 Dec, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 19 Dec, 2025 First submitted to journal 19 Dec, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8403892","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":570838269,"identity":"5b1b3a97-46a9-49ba-b7a0-2ee375a10650","order_by":0,"name":"Antonio Giovanni Schöneich","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAuElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYHACNhDBww8kJBgYmEnQItlAqhYGgwPEauHvP/zswccdNjLGN7ITbzBUWCc2ENIicSPN3HDmmTQesxu5my0YzqQT1sJwg4dNmrftMEjLNgnGtsOEtcifPwPS8p/HeAZIyz8itBgcyAFpOcBjIAHS0kCEFsMbaWaSM9uSeSTOvN1skXAs3ZigFrnzh59JfGyzs+dvz91440ONtSxBLagggTTlo2AUjIJRMApwAQBrBzsp4w8HgAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"University of Maryland, College Park","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Antonio","middleName":"Giovanni","lastName":"Schöneich","suffix":""},{"id":570838271,"identity":"cf2195e8-7073-466b-9857-395d7f556420","order_by":1,"name":"Stuart J. 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