Unsteady flow structure and vorticity convection over the airfoil oscillating at high reduced frequency

Unsteady vortex structures and vorticity convection over the airfoil (NACA 0012), oscillating in the uniform inflow, are studied by flow visualization and velocity measurements. The airfoil, pivoting at one-third of the chord, oscillates periodically near the static stalling angle of attack (AOA) at high reduced-frequency. The phase-triggering and modified phase-averaged techniques are employed to reconstruct the pseudo instantaneous velocity field over the airfoil. During the down stroke cycle, the leading-edge separation vortex is growing and the vortex near the trailing edge begins to shed into the wake. During the upstroke cycle, the leading-edge separation vortex is matured and moves downstream, and the counter clockwise vortex is forming near the trailing edge. Convection speeds and wavelength of the unsteady vortex structure over the airfoil equal to that of the counter clockwise vortex shed into the wake. This kind of vortex structure is termed as “synchronized shedding” type. The wavelength of unsteady vortex structure over the airfoil is significantly different from that at low reduced-frequency. Consistent convection speeds of the leading-edge separation vortex are acquired from the spatial-temporal variations of local circulation and local surface vorticity generation, and equals that predicted from flow visualization. Spatial-temporal variations of the local surface vorticity generation clearly reveal the formation and passage of the leading-edge separation vortex only in the region where the flow does not separate completely from the surface. Significant amounts of the surface vorticity are generated within the leading-edge region of the airfoil during the upstroke cycle. Only negligible amount of surface vorticity is produced within the region of complete flow separation. During the down stroke cycle, the surface vorticity generation is mild along the airfoil surface, except the leading-edge region where a small scale leading-edge separation vortex is forming and growing.     

Drag reduction and thrust generation by tangential surface motion in flow past a cylinder

Sensitivity of drag to tangential surface motion is calculated in flow past a circular cylinder in both two- and three-dimensional conditions at Reynolds number \(\textit{Re} \le 1000\). The magnitude of the sensitivity maximises in the region slightly upstream of the separation points where the contour lines of spanwise vorticity are normal to the cylinder surface. A control to reduce drag can be obtained by (negatively) scaling the sensitivity. The high correlation of sensitivities of controlled and uncontrolled flow indicates that the scaled sensitivity is a good approximation of the nonlinear optimal control. It is validated through direct numerical simulations that the linear range of the steady control is much higher than the unsteady control, which synchronises the vortex shedding and induces lock-in effects. The steady control injects angular momentum into the separating boundary layer, stabilises the flow and increases the base pressure significantly. At \(\textit{Re}=100\), when the maximum tangential motion reaches 50% of the free-stream velocity, the vortex shedding, boundary-layer separation and recirculation bubbles are eliminated and 32% of the drag is reduced. When the maximum tangential motion reaches 2.5 times of the free-stream velocity, thrust is generated and the power savings ratio, defined as the ratio of the reduced drag power to the control input power, reaches 19.6. The mechanism of drag reduction is attributed to the change of the radial gradient of spanwise vorticity (\(\partial _{r} \hat{\zeta }\)) and the subsequent accelerated pressure recovery from the uncontrolled separation points to the rear stagnation point.     

Large aerodynamic forces on a sweeping wing at low Reynolds number

The aerodynamic forces and flow structure of a model insect wing is studied by solving the Navier-Stokes equations numerically. After an initial start from rest, the wing is made to execute an azimuthal rotation (sweeping) at a large angle of attack and constant angular velocity. The Reynolds number (Re) considered in the present note is 480 (Re is based on the mean chord length of the wing and the speed at 60% wing length from the wing root). During the constant-speed sweeping motion, the stall is absent and large and approximately constant lift and drag coefficients can be maintained. The mechanism for the absence of the stall or the maintenance of large aerodynamic force coefficients is as follows. Soon after the initial start, a vortex ring, which consists of the leading-edge vortex (LEV), the starting vortex, and the two wing-tip vortices, is formed in the wake of the wing. During the subsequent motion of the wing, a base-to-tip spanwise flow converts the vorticity in the LEV to the wing tip and the LEV keeps an approximately constant strength. This prevents the LEV from shedding. As a result, the size of the vortex ring increases approximately linearly with time, resulting in an approximately constant time rate of the first moment of vorticity, or approximately constant lift and drag coefficients. The variation of the relative velocity along the wing span causes a pressure gradient along the wingspan. The base-to-tip spanwise flow is mainly maintained by the pressure-gradient force. The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (10232010)     

脉冲激光等离子体与正激波相互作用的PIV实验研究

脉冲激光等离子体与超声速流场相互作用在飞行器减阻隔热、点火助燃等方面具有重要的应用价值.纹影实验方法只能定性或半定量地反映流动状态.为定量研究速度分布和旋涡结构,针对激光等离子体及其与正激波相互作用过程开展粒子图像测速PIV实验研究.在激波管实验平台上建立了纳秒脉冲激光能量沉积系统和PIV测量系统,通过定量测量,探明了激光等离子体引致的激光空气泡以及热核的流动特性,揭示了激光等离子体在正激波冲击下的流动特性与演化规律,并给出了激光能量大小和位置对相互作用过程的影响.结果表明:激光空气泡内的速度分布在激光入射方向上并不关于击穿点对称,而是在靠近激光入射方向一侧的流速略大于远离激光入射方向一侧;斜压导致热核在演化初期产生涡环,后期则由剪切主导;正激波与激光空气泡界面、热核界面相互作用时,产生斜压涡量,当激光能量为87.8 mJ、正激波马赫数1.4时,热核在正激波作用下产生的涡量比在静止空气中演化时大1个数量级;激光与正激波相互作用的关键过程是热核在正激波冲击下演化成涡环,在激波波前注入激光能量能够获得更加显著的涡环.     

On the generation of yawing moment using active flow control

The generation of control moments without moving control surfaces is of great practical importance. Following a successful flight demonstration of creating roll motion without ailerons using differential, lift oriented, flow control the current study is a first step towards generating yawing motion via differential flow controlled drag.A wind tunnel study was conducted on a 21% thick Glauert type airfoil. The upper surface flow is partially separated from the two-thirds chord location and downstream on this airfoil at all incidence angles. An array of mass-less Piezo-fluidic actuators, located at x/c = 0.65, are capable of fully reattaching the flow in a gradual, controlled manner. The actuators are individually operated such that the boundary layer could be controlled in a 3D fashion.Several concepts for creating yaw motion without moving control surface are examined. The ultimate goal is to generate the same lift on both wings, while decreasing the drag on one wing and increasing the drag on the other, therefore creating a yawing moment. Decreased drag is created by effective part-span separation delay while increased drag can be created by enhanced generation of vortex shedding or by highly localized 3D actuation.Detailed measurements of 3D surface pressure distributions and wake data with three velocity and streamwise vorticity components are presented and discussed along with surface flow visualization images. The data provide evidence that yawing moments can be generated with AFC.     

Rayleigh Conductivity and Self-Sustained Oscillations

The theory of self-sustaining oscillations of low Mach number, high Reynolds number shear layers, and jets impinging on edges and corners is discussed. Such oscillations generate narrow band sound, and are usually attributed to the formation of discrete vortices whose interactions with the edge or corner produce impulsive pressures that trigger the cyclic formation of new vorticity. A linearized analysis of these interactions is described in which free shear layers are treated as vortex sheets. Details are given for shear flow over wall apertures and shallow cavities, and for jet–edge interactions. The operating stages of the oscillations correspond to complex eigenvalues of the linear theory: for wall apertures and edge tones they are poles in the upper half of the complex frequency plane of the Rayleigh conductivity of the “window” spanned by the shear flow; for shallow wall cavities they are poles of a frequency-dependent drag coefficient. It is argued that the frequencies defined by the real parts of the complex frequencies at these poles determine the operating stage Strouhal numbers observed experimentally. Strouhal number predictions for a shallow wall cavity are in good agreement with data extrapolated to zero Mach number from measurements in air; edge tone predictions are in excellent accord with data from various sources in the literature. Received 3 January 1997 and accepted 13 February 1997     

A numerical exploration of secondary separation in starting flow around a flat plate by the discrete vortex model

In the present work, a further numerical simulation of the starting flow around a flat plate normal to the direction of motion in a uniform fluid has been made by means of the discrete vortex method. The secondary separation occurring at rear surface of the plate is explored, and predicted approximately using Thwait's method. The calculated results show that in the early stages of the flow secondary separation does occur. The evolution of flow field, the vortex growing process and the characteristics of secondary vortices have been described. The time dependent drag coefficients, the vorticity shed from the edges and rear surface, and the separation positions are calculated as well as the distributions of velocity and pressure on the plate. In the case of flow normal to the plate, the calculated secondary vortices are weak. Their existence will change the local velocity distributions and affect pressure distributions. However, the effect on drag coefficient is negligible.     

Wingtip vortex control via the use of a reverse half-delta wing

The effect of a 65° sweep reverse half-delta wing (RHDW), mounted at the squared tip of a rectangular NACA 0012 wing, on the tip vortex was investigated experimentally at Re?=?2.45?×?10⁵. The RHDW was found to produce a weaker tip vortex with a lower vorticity level and, more importantly, a reduced lift-induced drag compared to the baseline wing. In addition to the lift increment, the RHDW also produced a large separated wake flow and subsequently an increased profile drag. The reduction in lift-induced drag, however, outperformed the increase in profile drag and resulted in a virtually unchanged total drag in comparison with the baseline wing. Physical mechanisms responsible for the RHDW-induced appealing aerodynamics and vortex flow modifications were discussed.     

Steady Vortex Ring with Isochronous Flow in the Vortex Core

Steady-state solutions to the problem of a thin vortex ring in an inviscid incompressible fluid in infinite space are investigated. The Fraenkel procedure is used to construct the steady-state solutions. In this procedure a given vorticity distribution in plane flow with circular streamlines is transformed into a steady vortex ring using an expansion in the ring thinness parameter. For example, a two-dimensional vortex of constant vorticity is transformed into a steady vortex ring with the uniform distribution in which the absolute value of vorticity is proportional to the distance from the axis of symmetry. The principal aim of our study is to construct the algorithm of finding the flow for an isochronous vortex ring in which the periods of revolution are the same for all the liquid particles in the vortex core. The problem is that the two-dimensional distribution which goes over in the isochronous ring in accordance with the Fraenkel procedure is unknown in advance. In particular, the ring with the uniform distribution is not isochronous despite the isochronism of the initial two-dimensional flow. In this connection the Fraenkel procedure is significantly modified so that the initial two-dimensional vorticity distribution is determined in each of the steps of the iteration procedure. The solution for the vortex ring with the uniform distribution obtained in the present study is significantly used to construct the isochronous solution. The necessary corrections to the former solution are calculated in each step. Obtaining of the isochronous flow is the key step for the investigation of stability of three-dimensional oscillations of the vortex ring since the oscillation spectrum of this flow is discrete.     

Dynamics of thin vortex rings in a low-viscosity fluid

In order to describe the unsteady flow of a viscous fluid induced by a toroidal vorticity distribution we use the two-scale expansion method [6], By this means we obtain a vorticity distribution in the core of the thin vortex ring that is consistent with the external potential flow. The time dependence of the flow characteristics obtained confirms the experimental results for the inertial regime. The interaction of coaxial vortex rings is investigated as an example.Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No.5, pp. 52–59, September–October, 1992.     

Parallelization of a vorticity formulation for the analysis of incompressible viscous fluid flows

A parallel computer implementation of a vorticity formulation for the analysis of incompressible viscous fluid flow problems is presented. The vorticity formulation involves a three‐step process, two kinematic steps followed by a kinetic step. The first kinematic step determines vortex sheet strengths along the boundary of the domain from a Galerkin implementation of the generalized Helmholtz decomposition. The vortex sheet strengths are related to the vorticity flux boundary conditions. The second kinematic step determines the interior velocity field from the regular form of the generalized Helmholtz decomposition. The third kinetic step solves the vorticity equation using a Galerkin finite element method with boundary conditions determined in the first step and velocities determined in the second step. The accuracy of the numerical algorithm is demonstrated through the driven‐cavity problem and the 2‐D cylinder in a free‐stream problem, which represent both internal and external flows. Each of the three steps requires a unique parallelization effort, which are evaluated in terms of parallel efficiency. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Accuracy of out-of-plane vorticity measurements derived from in-plane velocity field data

 A study of the errors in out-of-plane vorticity (ω _z ) calculated using a local χ² fitting of the measured velocity field and analytic differentiation has been carried out. The primary factors of spatial velocity sampling separation and random velocity measurement error have been investigated. In principle the ω _z error can be decomposed into a bias error contribution and a random error contribution. Theoretical expressions for the transmission of the random velocity error into the random vorticity error have been derived. The velocity and vorticity field of the Oseen vortex has been used as a typical vortex structure in this study. Data of different quality, ranging from exact velocity vectors of analytically defined flow fields (Oseen vortex flow) sampled at discrete locations to computer generated digital image frames analysed using cross-correlation DPIV, have been investigated in this study. This data has been used to provide support for the theoretical random error results, to isolate the different sources of error and to determine their effect on ω _z measurements. A method for estimating in-situ the velocity random error is presented. This estimate coupled with the theoretically derived random error transmission results for the χ² vorticity calculation method can be used a priori to estimate the magnitude of the random error in ω _z . This random error is independent of a particular flow field. The velocity sampling separation is found to have a profound effect on the precise determination of ω _z by introducing a bias error. This bias error results in an underestimation of the peak vorticity. Simple equations, which are based on a local model of the Oseen vortex around the peak vorticity region, allowing the prediction of the ω _z bias error for the χ² vorticity calculation method, are presented. An important conclusion of this study is that the random error transmission factor and the bias error cannot be minimised simultaneously. Both depend on the velocity sampling separation, but with opposing effects. The application of the random and bias vorticity error predictions are illustrated by application to experimental velocity data determined using cross-correlation DPIV (CCDPIV) analysis of digital images of a laminar vortex ring. Received: 31 October 1997/Accepted: 6 February 1998     

Supersonic flow past a step downstream of longitudinal grooves

Supersonic flow past a step preceded by longitudinal grooves cut in the plane surface upstream of it is studied experimentally in the presence of a turbulent boundary layer. It is shown that the grooves affect both the shape and the size of the flow separation zone and generate longitudinal vortex cores in the latter.Moscow. Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 201–206, September–October, 1996.     

Effects of sound on flow separation from blunt flat plates

The effect of sound on the flow around plates with semicircular or square leading edges and square trailing edges located in a low turbulence open jet has been studied. In all circumstances the length of the leading edge separation bubbles associated with square leading edge plates was found to oscillate. When sound was applied to the flow around these plates, the leading edge shear layers reattached closer to the leading edge and the oscillations in bubble length occurred at the applied sound frequency, generating patches of concentrated vorticity in the boundary layers. These vorticity patches moved downstream near the plate surface and then beyond the trailing edge to form vortex cores in a street with a Strouhal number equal to the applied sound value. Sometimes these vortex streets are unstable and break down into streets with Strouhal numbers approaching those observed without sound. These effects of sound were not observed in the flow around plates with semicircular leading edges. Without sound, square leading edge plates of intermediate length did not shed regular vortex streets.     

Vortex sound

Vortex motion is the only source of aerodynamic sound production in low Mach number flow: the unsteady part of the vorticity distribution contributes linearly to the sound field. The following fundamental model flows, which illustrate the vorticity as the predominant sound source in unsteady flows, are discussed: An initially planar elliptic vortex; two identical coaxial initially elliptic vortex rings, where a special case is the leap-frogging of two identical circular rings. For head-on collision of two identical circular vortex rings and for several cases of vortex-body interaction good agreement between theory and experiment exists. If the Mach number is not low, other mechanisms have also to be considered. Here the theory is not yet fully developed. Experimental results for a vortex-airfoil interaction in transonic flow show that local flow separation and boundary layer as well as compressibility effects play a basic role. However, if the motion of vorticity would be known in subsonic flow, essential parts of the sound field could be calculated by the theory. — In addition, it is shown that the general theory is well suited to provide a better understanding of the scattering of sound waves by vortex motion, at least for long wave lengths.     

On the three-dimensional nature of the orthogonal blade–vortex interaction

An orthogonal blade–vortex interaction has been visualised using stereo particle image velocimetry. Significant changes to the vortex axial flow w component velocity are observed during the interaction, with a deceleration on the lower surface of the blade where the vortex axial flow is towards the blade surface. Over this surface the interaction process close to the blade surface spreads the vorticity out to the areas of oppositely signed blade w component, and the results suggest a non-uniform spreading over the leading edge region of the blade, with a tendency for a spanwise transport of vorticity. Over the upper surface of the blade, the vortex axial flow velocity increases and the vortex core shrinks slightly. During the lower surface interaction the vorticity and velocity vectors become significantly realigned with respect to one another, while this is not observed for the upper surface interaction.     

Investigation of turbulence structures in a drag-reduced turbulent channel flow with surfactant additive by stereoscopic particle image velocimetry

In the present study, we employed stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (PIV) to investigate the characteristics of turbulence structures in a drag-reduced turbulent channel flow with addition of surfactant. The tested drag-reducing fluid was a CTAC/NaSal/Water (CTAC: cetyltrimethyl ammonium chloride; NaSal: sodium salicylate) system at 25°C. The weight concentration of CTAC was 30 ppm. Stereoscopic PIV measurement was performed for a water flow (Re=1.1×10⁴) and a CTAC solution flow (Re=1.5×10⁴ with 54% drag reduction) in both the streamwise–spanwise and wall-normal-spanwise planes, respectively. The three-dimensionality of hairpin vortex structures in the near-wall region for wall-bounded turbulent flow was reproduced by conditionally averaging the stereoscopic two-dimensional-three-component velocity fields. A series of wall-normal vortex cores were found to align with the near-wall low-speed streaks with opposite vorticity signals at both sides of the streaks and with the vorticity decreased on average by about one order of magnitude in CTAC solution flow compared with water flow; the spanwise spacing between the near-wall low-speed streaks in the solution flow is increased by about 46%. The streamwise vorticity of the vortex cores appearing in the wall-normal-spanwise plane was also decreased by the use of drag-reducing surfactant additives.     

Radiation and scattering of sound from a vortex ring

The mechanisms of generation and scattering of sound by a vortex ring are investigated on the basis of fluid dynamics. The vortex ring can serve as a simple dynamic model of the large-scale structures observed in shear flows. Moreover, it is probably the most easily studied vortex element that can be created experimentally. The sound scattering investigation also served to determine the extent to which the vortex is affected by sound, its selectivity with respect to such parameters as the acoustic frequency, the angle of incidence of the wave, etc. The perturbed motion is considered against the background of the steady-state motion of the ring. The perturbed motion in the vortex core is determined on the basis of linear incompressible fluid dynamics. Two terms of the expansion in the M number of the far acoustic field generated by the perturbations in the core are found in accordance with Lighthill's theory. The acoustic power and directivity of the radiation and the acoustic instability growth rate are calculated. It is shown that the scattering of sound by the vortex ring is a resonance effect, and the scattering amplitude near resonance is determined. The acoustic action on the hydrodynamic structure of the flow in the core of the ring is especially intense near the resonances and extends over a period short as compared with the characteristic time of the acoustic instability.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 3, pp. 83–95, May–June, 1987.     

近距离下射流冲击平板PIV实验研究

运用时间分辨粒子成像测速系统(time-resolved particle image velocimetry, TR-PIV)对近距离下射流冲击平板时的流场进行了直接测量, 通过对两个正交的平面流场开展测量, 揭示了冲击距离和雷诺数对射流间隙内三维流动特征及涡系结构演化规律的影响. 结果表明: 射流间隙存在三种典型的涡系结构, 分别为双涡环模式、单涡环模式和卷吸模式, 但在大流量湍流状态下, 射流可能会冲破涡环, 形成随机的高速出流, 各流动模式的出现主要与射流流态及壁面约束作用有关. 运用涡量分析对三种典型涡系结构的能量传递和损失特性进行了比较. 结果表明: 近距离冲击时, 射流的能量通过涡环模式向外传递. 在双涡环模式下, 两个涡环的旋向相反, 端面的约束作用使得两个涡环都被严格约束在射流棒端面之内, 且一次涡环强度显著大于二次涡环强度. 最后, 运用本征正交分解方法对射流间隙内的流动模态及其能量分布进行了分析. 单涡和双涡模式前十阶模态分析结果表明: 能量脉动在较低阶时即以配对的模式出现, 这表明一次涡环与二次涡环均具有良好的对称性, 同时在双涡模式中, 一次涡环是占主导作用的大尺度流动结构. 卷吸模式的前三阶模态分析表明: 射流的能量集中在射流上游, 能量随紊动扩散急剧衰减.      

Investigations of wake flows of a flat plate in steady,oscillatory and combined flows

Numerical study on near wake flows of a flat plate in three kinds of oncoming flows is made by using the discrete vortex model and improved vorticity creation method. For steady oncoming flow, both gross and detailed features of the wake flow are calculated and discussed. Then, in harmonic oscillatory oncoming flow two different wake flow patterns withK _c=2,4 and 10 are obtained respectively. Our results present a new wake flow pattern for lowKc numbers (Kc<5) describing vortex shedding, pairing and moving in a period of the oscillatory flow starting from rest. The calculated drag and inertia force coefficients are closer to experimental data from the U-tube than the previous results of vortex simulation. For in-line combined oncoming flow the vortex lock-in and dynamic characteristics are simulated. The results are shown to be in good agreement with experiments. The project supported by National Natural Science Fundation of China and LNM of Institute of Mechanics. CAS