In experiments, it can be difficult to track individual fluid structures as they flow downstream. Here researchers capture this spatial development by towing a 5-meter flat plate past a stationary Keep reading
Tag: turbulent boundary layer
London 2012: Discus Physics
Like the javelin, the discus throw is an athletic event dating back to the ancient Olympics. Competitors are limited to a 2.5 m circle from which they throw, leading to Keep reading
Flow in Urban Areas
While we typically think about boundary layers as a small region near the surface of an object–be it airplane, golf ball, or engine wall–boundary layers can be enormous, like the Keep reading
Dove in Flight
This spectacular high-speed video shows a dove in flight. Note how its wings flex through its stroke and the way the wings rotate over the course of the downstroke and Keep reading
Airfoil Boundary Layer
This video shows the turbulent boundary layer on a NACA 0010 airfoil at high angle of attack (15 degrees). Notice how substantial the variations are in the boundary layer over Keep reading
Simulating Turbulence
Turbulent flows are complicated to simulate because of their many scales. The largest eddies in a flow, where energy is generated, can be of the order of meters, while the Keep reading
Aerodynamics with Bill Nye and Samuel L. Jackson
Bill Nye, Samuel Jackson, golf balls, Reynolds number, dimples, and boundary layers. It doesn’t get much better than this. – Khristopher O (submitter) It definitely beats Jackson’s other foray into Keep reading
Starting a Rocket
This computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation shows the start-up of a two-dimensional, ideal rocket nozzle. Starting a rocket engine or supersonic wind tunnel is more complicated than its subsonic counterpart Keep reading
Bristling Scales Give Sharks Speed
The shortfin mako shark is one of the ocean’s fastest and most agile hunters, thanks in part to flexible scales along its body. As water flows around the shark’s body, Keep reading
Turbulence Near the Wall
This photo shows a flow visualization of a turbulent boundary layer at Mach 2.8. The direction of flow is from right to left. In nature, the boundary layer between a Keep reading