A smoke wire shows the deformation of streamlines around a swept-winged micro air vehicle (MAV). These crafts typically feature wingspans smaller than one foot and, thus, never develop the type of flow fields associated with larger fixed-wing airplanes. This complicates theoretical predictions of lift and drag for MAVs as well as making them difficult to control. MAVs have numerous commercial and military applications, including search and rescue operations. (Photo credit: Tom Omer)
Tag: smoke-wire technique
Smoke-Wire Visualization
One common simple form of flow visualization is the smoke-wire technique. A thin wire is coated in oil, then heated. The resulting smoke flows over and around the object of study, providing a useful tracer for the flow. While not necessarily helpful as a quantitative measure, smoke-flow visualization helps researchers get a sense of what is going on in the flow. (Photo credits: TAMU Hypersonics Lab)