Schlieren photography is a classic method of flow visualization that utilizes small variations in density (or temperature) to make otherwise unseen air motion visible. Because changing air’s density or temperature Keep reading
Tag: tip vortex
Fanning the Flame
A fan’s blade passes through the hot air rising above a flame in this iconic image by high-speed photography pioneer Harold Edgerton. This photo uses an optical technique known as Keep reading
Helicopter Tip Vortices
Airplanes and other fixed-wing aircraft produce wingtip vortices as a result of their finite length. Rotor blades, like those on helicopters, produce the effect as well. Both wings and rotors Keep reading
Tip Vortex
Smoke released from the end of a test blade shows the helical pattern of a tip vortex from a horizontal-axis wind turbine. Like airplane wings, wind turbine blades generate a Keep reading