Pressure- and Size-Dependent Aerodynamic Drag Effects on Mach 0.3–2.2 Microspheres for High-Precision Micro-Ballistic Characterization

Abstract

The acceleration of microparticles to supersonic velocities is required for microscopic ballistic testing, a method for understanding material characteristics under extreme dynamic conditions, and for projectile gene and drug delivery, a needle-free administration technique. However, precise aerodynamic effects upon supersonic microsphere motion at sub-300 Reynolds numbers have not been quantified. We derive drag coefficients for microspheres traveling in air at subsonic, transonic, and supersonic velocities from the measured trajectories of microspheres launched by laser-induced projectile acceleration. Moreover, the observed drag effects on microspheres in atmospheric (760 Torr) and reduced pressure (76 Torr) are compared with existing empirical data and drag coefficient models. We find that the existing models adequately predict the drag coefficient for subsonic microspheres, while rarefaction effects cause a discrepancy between the model and empirical data in the supersonic regime. These results will improve microsphere flight modeling for high-precision microscopic ballistic testing and projectile gene and drug delivery.