Formation and Near-field Dynamics of a Wing Tip Vortex

Graduate Aeronautical Laboratories
Caltech

Abstract-
The search for a mechanism, which would lead to a more efficient way of "destroying" aircraft trailing vortices, requires a good understanding of the early development of the vortices. For that purpose, an experimental investigation is conducted to study the formation and near-field dynamics of a wing tip vortex.

Two versions of Digital Particle Image Velocimetry (DPIV) techniques were used in the studies. Planar DPIV was used to obtain velocity fields adjacent to the wing surface. Stereoscopic DPIV, which allows instantaneous measurements of all three components of velocity within a planar slice, was used to measure velocity fields behind the wing.

The present studies have found that the wing sheds multiple vortices of opposite signs. Downstream of the wing, some of these vortices roll up into the trailing vortex while others break up into smaller vortices and satellite around the primary tip vortex. It is found that the interactions between the tip vortex and satellite vortices give rise to the unsteady motion of the wing tip vortex. In addition, the studies also examined the effects of boundary layer and the tip geometry to the strength and motion of the trailing vortex.

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