Required Data Collection Times for Steady and Quasi-steady Experiments

One of the requirements in performing steady or quasi-steady experiments is the determination of adequate collection times so that the data will not be biased due to low frequency energy in the data stream. Since virtually all steady experiments run at DTMB have low pass filters in line with the signal conditioning, high frequency noise is not a consideration in determining the required collection times. At both EMB and DTMB almost all of the surface ship drag measurements were made using gravity type balances until about 1970. These balances used both springs and dampers to modify the natural frequency of the system so that a good average model drag could be determined in a 5-6 sec collection period. Submarine model experiments began using block gages to measure drag beginning in the late 1950's. For these experiments crude methods were used to damp the output data but, to the author’s knowledge, no methods were ever put into place that was analogous to the springs and damper system. A method for determining the required collection times for any steady or quasi-steady experiment is presented along with sample cases showing the necessity for, and the utility of, using such a method.