Affiliations: Fluid Loading and Instrumentation Center, Heriot-Watt
University, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH10 5PJ, UK | University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
Abstract: An experimental investigation was undertaken of the wake
aerodynamics of a 1/12.81 model of a commercial passenger aircraft. The tests
were undertaken in the 3.05 m by 3.66 m working section of a closed-return
wind-tunnel. The program made use of laser sheet visualization (LSV) and
particle image velocimetry (PIV) in planes, normal to the mean flow, to obtain
images of flow-following, seed particles. The images were processed to obtain
raw velocity vectors, flow divergence, vorticity, cross-flow energy and high
quality visualizations. Image sequences obtained under identical incident flow
conditions were used to conceptualize the variability of principal wake
features, such as regions of fluid of high vorticity.
Keywords: PIV, LSV, animation, aircraft model, large wind-tunnel
