Experimental Investigation of Interacting Wing-Tip Vortex Pairs

摘要

The interaction of trailing vortex pairs shed from the tips of two rectangularwings have been studies through helium bubble flow visualizations and extensive hot wire velocity measurements made between 10 and 30 chordlengths downstream. The wings were placed tip to tip at equal and opposite angles of attack, generating pairs of co-rotating and counter rotating vortices. Meaningful hot wire measurements could be made because the vortices were found to be insensitive to probe interference and experienced very small wandering motions. The co-rotating pairs were observed to rotate around each other and merge. Upstream of the merging location, the vortices have approximately elliptical cores. These are surrounded by the two wing wakes which join together around the two cores. Trailing vortices, Vortex interaction, Turbulence.