The 'Minituft' Surface Flow Visualisation Method; Experience of Use in the RAE 5m Pressurised Low-Speed Wind Tunnel.

Abstract

THe development and use of a 'minituft' surface flow visualisation technique in the RAE 5m Pressurised Low-Speed Wind Tunnel is described. The method uses very fine nylon monofilaments to show surface flow direction. These tufts are made visible by coating them in a fluorescent dye and then illuminating them with a powerful ultra-violet light source. Because of their small size, a large number of tufts may be used without interfering with the flow to a great extent. However, it is shown that if accurate force measurements are required, then it is advisable to test the model in the absence of tufts. Keywords: Great Britain: Wind tunnels; Flow visualisation; Test facilities.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 1985
Accession Number
ADA160715

Entities

People

  • D. G. Dobney
  • P. Hanson
  • S. P. Fiddes

Organizations

  • Royal Aircraft Establishment

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Boundary Layer
  • Cameras
  • Flow
  • Flow Visualization
  • Fluid Dynamics
  • Fluorescent Dyes
  • High Lift
  • Leading Edges
  • Materials
  • Measurement
  • Photographs
  • Photography
  • Reynolds Number
  • Test Facilities
  • Turbulent Mixing
  • Visible Spectra
  • Wind Tunnels

Readers

  • Aerodynamics.
  • Systems Analysis and Design