In nature, birds and other flying animals often use unsteady flow effects to enhance the lift their wings generate. When a wing sits at a high angle of attack, it Keep reading
Tag: leading edge vortex
Vortex Cross-Sections
The photos above show cross-sections through the leading edge vortices on a highly swept delta wing at angle of attack. Flow in the photos is from the upper left to Keep reading
How Maple Seeds Fly
Maple tree seeds flutter and spin as they descend. The above video, which shows flow visualization of a freely falling seed, demonstrates that the so-called helicopter seed’s autorotation creates a vortex Keep reading