UNIT – IV

FLOW VISUALIZATION

PART - A

·0 What are the optical methods of flow visualization?

·1 Schlieren system
·2 Shadowgraph technique
·3 Interferometer
·4
·5 What is an Interferometer?
The interferometer is an optical method most suited for qualitative
determination of the density field of high speed flows

·6 What is Schlieren system?

Schlieren photography is similar to the shadowgraph technique and relies on the
the fact that light rays are bent whenever they encounter changes in density of a fluid.
Schlieren systems are used to visualize the flow away from the surface of an object. The
schlieren system shown in this figure uses two concave mirrors on either side of the test
section of the wind tunnel. A mercury vapor lamp or a spark gap system is used as a
bright source of light.

·7 How smoke visualization can be done?

Smoke is used to visualize the flow that is away from the surface of the model.
Smoke can be used to detect vortices and regions of separated flow.

·8 How Oils are used in flow visualization?

Colored oil flows are used on the silver internal surfaces to visualize the flow
down the duct. Surface oil is applied as small dabs of oil at some upstream location. The
oil is standard 40W treated with a flourescent dye or pigment. The thickness of the oil
can be modulated using naptha or 60-70W oil. As the air flows over the model, the oil is
carried downstream in long streaks. A variety of pigments aid in flow visualization.

·9 What is a spring gage?

A spring gage consists of a spring that is stretched by the application of a force,
and some kind of scale to determine the magnitude of the force. The spring gage is
based on the physical observation that the length L of a spring is linearly related to the
applied force F through a spring constant that itself depends on the material and
thickness of the spring. If the spring constant is specified by the letter K, then
L = (1/K) x F
 F=KxL

·10 What do you mean by DPIV?

In a modern development, one can use laser sheets to not only visualize the
flow but also to determine the local velocity in the flow. Digital Particle Image
Velocimetry (DPIV) uses multiple laser sheet images and high speed computers to track
the motion of the seed particles and, from the particle motion, derive the local velocity.
DPIV is an attractive technique because it is non-invasive (the technique does not alter
or disturb the flow) and it quickly produces large amounts of data which would be
tedious to acquire using older flow mapping techniques like traversing probes.

·11 Explain Shadowgraph technique?

An optical method of rendering fluid flow patterns visible by using index-of-
refraction differences in the flow. The method relies on the fact that rays of light bend
toward regions of higher refractive index while passing through a transparent material.
The fluid is usually illuminated by a parallel beam of light.

·12 What are Tufts?

Tufts are another old visualization technique that is used in both flight test
and wind tunnel testing. Tufts are small lengths of string that are frayed on the
ends. Popular materials for tufts include monofilament nylon, and polyester or
cotton No. 60 sewing threads. Tufts may be coated with flourescant dyes to
increase visibility for photography. The tufts are attached to the surface of the
model using some adhesive such as tape or glue, and as the air flows over the
model, the tufts are blown and point downstream.
PART - B

·13 Explain in detail smoke and tuft grid generation techniques of flow visualization/?
·14 Write about the dye injection techniques?

·15 Explain Schlieren system of optical flow visualization?

·16 Explain Interferometer technique of flow visualization in detail?
·17 Explain shadowgraph technique in detail?