Axial Drag Coefficients of Cotton Fibers

Abstract

The axial drag coefficients of individual, long-staple cotton fibers are measured in an electric field at low Reynold's numbers. The electric force, as a function of field strength E, is measured for each fiber. The fiber is then mounted in a wind tunnel between plane parallel electrodes with a field E aligned in the flow direction. When the fiber collapses in the airstream, the field E and the flow velocity are measured, and the drag force is calculated. The results are in good agreement with Higuchi and Katsu's work, and the drag force is approximately half the value of Taylor's measurement of cross-flow of drag—that is, Cd = 4.4295 Re-0.8145.