Although engineers often consider fluid mechanics through the lens of mathematics, that’s far from the only way to understand fluid physics. Today’s video is an alternative interpretation of a classic Keep reading
Tag: cylinder
Robotic Research Facilities
One of the major challenges in fluid dynamics is the size of the parameter spaces we have to explore. Because many problems in fluid dynamics are non-linear, making small changes Keep reading
Symmetric Wakes
Nature is full of remarkable patterns and moments of symmetry. This image shows the wake behind two rotating cylinders. Half of the cylinders are visible at the far left. The Keep reading
Soap Film Visualization
Soap films provide a simple and convenient method for flow visualization. Here an allen wrench swept upward through a soap film leaves a distinctive wake. This trail of counter-rotating vortices Keep reading
Von Karman Vortex Streets
The wake of a cylinder is a series of alternating vortices shed as the flow moves past. This distinctive pattern is known as a von Karman vortex street. The speed Keep reading
Cylinder Wakes
A simple cylinder in a steady flow creates a beautiful wake pattern known as a von Karman vortex street. The image above shows several examples of this pattern. Flow is Keep reading
Flow Behind a Cylinder
Flow over blunt bodies produces a series of alternating vortices that are shed behind an object. The image above shows the turbulent wake of a cylinder, with flow from right Keep reading
Shedding Vortices
The von Karman vortex street of shed vortices that form the wake of a stationary cylinder are a classic image of fluid dynamics. Here we see a very different wake Keep reading
Reader Question: Creeping Flow
[original media no longer available] David asks: I’m taking an undergraduate fluid dynamics course, and I’m having trouble understanding what a Creeping Flow exactly is. The only thing I understand Keep reading
Supersonic Flow Around a Cylinder
This numerical simulation shows unsteady supersonic flow (Mach 2) around a circular cylinder. On the right are contours of density, and on the left is entropy viscosity, used for stability Keep reading