{"id":{"repo_id":"vt","oai_identifier":"oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/40571"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/vt/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/40571","repository":{"repo_id":"vt","name":"Virginia Tech","base_url":"https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"A wind tunnel investigation of a wing-tip trailing vortex","abstract":"A 3 'x2' subsonic wind tunnel has been constructed and calibrated. The flow in the wind tunnel accelerates 6.1 % along the test section due to boundary layer growth. The potential core flow at both the entrance and exit locations is strongly uniform. The mean velocity varies .4% across the entrance and exit planes. The turbulence level at the entrance and exit locations is approximately .2%. The tunnel was used to study a trailing vortex during its development at the wingtip and at 10 chordlengths downstream. The vortex was found to be well developed by 10 chordlengths. Helium bubble flow visualization was used to study the development of the vortex in the near-tip regions. Hot-wire anemometry was used to study the vortex at 10 chordlengths. Two vortices were found in the tip-flow studies, a primary vortex core formed on the suction side surface of the wingtip and a weaker secondary vortex formed on the endcap. The primary vortex core lifts from the surface of the wingtip as it proceeds along the chord. The vertical displacement is a strong function of angle of attack. The primary vortex is displaced from the endcap towards the wing root at the trailing edge. The spanwise displacement is a strong function of chord Reynolds number. The primary and secondary vortices co-rotate after leaving the wing, and the primary vortex core follows a steady helical path. The radius of the helical path quickly diminishes with downstream distance.","abstract_html":"A 3 'x2' subsonic wind tunnel has been constructed and calibrated. The flow in the wind tunnel accelerates 6.1 % along the test section due to boundary layer growth. The potential core flow at both the entrance and exit locations is strongly uniform. The mean velocity varies .4% across the entrance and exit planes. The turbulence level at the entrance and exit locations is approximately .2%. The tunnel was used to study a trailing vortex during its development at the wingtip and at 10 chordlengths downstream. The vortex was found to be well developed by 10 chordlengths. Helium bubble flow visualization was used to study the development of the vortex in the near-tip regions. Hot-wire anemometry was used to study the vortex at 10 chordlengths. Two vortices were found in the tip-flow studies, a primary vortex core formed on the suction side surface of the wingtip and a weaker secondary vortex formed on the endcap. The primary vortex core lifts from the surface of the wingtip as it proceeds along the chord. The vertical displacement is a strong function of angle of attack. The primary vortex is displaced from the endcap towards the wing root at the trailing edge. The spanwise displacement is a strong function of chord Reynolds number. The primary and secondary vortices co-rotate after leaving the wing, and the primary vortex core follows a steady helical path. The radius of the helical path quickly diminishes with downstream distance.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Engel, Mark A."],"institution":"Virginia Tech","degree_name":"Master of Science","degree_level":"masters","degree_discipline":"Aerospace Engineering","degree_department":"Aerospace Engineering","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":["Devenport, William J."],"committee_members":["Mason, William H.","Ragab, Saad A."],"year":1995,"date_issued":"1995-05-05","date_published":"1995-05-05","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:19:48Z","subjects":["wind affect"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["In Copyright"],"rights_urls":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["etd-01102009-063459"],"render_values":[{"text":"etd-01102009-063459","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/10919/40571","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.committeechair","label":"Committee Chair","values":["Devenport, William J."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Mason, William H.","Ragab, Saad A."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Aerospace Engineering"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Engel, Mark A."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2014-03-14T21:26:51Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2014-03-14T21:26:51Z","2009-01-10"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["1995-05-05"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Virginia Tech"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.dcmitype","label":"Dc Type Dcmitype","values":["Text"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Aerospace Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["wind affect"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["In Copyright"]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["etd-01102009-063459"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/10919/40571"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["A 3 'x2' subsonic wind tunnel has been constructed and calibrated. The flow in the wind tunnel accelerates 6.1 % along the test section due to boundary layer growth. The potential core flow at both the entrance and exit locations is strongly uniform. The mean velocity varies .4% across the entrance and exit planes. The turbulence level at the entrance and exit locations is approximately .2%. The tunnel was used to study a trailing vortex during its development at the wingtip and at 10 chordlengths downstream. The vortex was found to be well developed by 10 chordlengths. Helium bubble flow visualization was used to study the development of the vortex in the near-tip regions. Hot-wire anemometry was used to study the vortex at 10 chordlengths. Two vortices were found in the tip-flow studies, a primary vortex core formed on the suction side surface of the wingtip and a weaker secondary vortex formed on the endcap. The primary vortex core lifts from the surface of the wingtip as it proceeds along the chord. The vertical displacement is a strong function of angle of attack. The primary vortex is displaced from the endcap towards the wing root at the trailing edge. The spanwise displacement is a strong function of chord Reynolds number. The primary and secondary vortices co-rotate after leaving the wing, and the primary vortex core follows a steady helical path. The radius of the helical path quickly diminishes with downstream distance."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"dc:format.medium","label":"Dc Format Medium","values":["BTD"]},{"key":"dc:format.mimetype","label":"Dc Format Mimetype","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["A wind tunnel investigation of a wing-tip trailing vortex"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.committeechair":["Devenport, William J."],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Mason, William H.","Ragab, Saad A."],"dc:contributor.department":["Aerospace Engineering"],"dc:creator":["Engel, Mark A."],"dc:date.accessioned":["2014-03-14T21:26:51Z"],"dc:date.available":["2014-03-14T21:26:51Z","2009-01-10"],"dc:date.issued":["1995-05-05"],"dc:description.abstract":["A 3 'x2' subsonic wind tunnel has been constructed and calibrated. The flow in the wind tunnel accelerates 6.1 % along the test section due to boundary layer growth. The potential core flow at both the entrance and exit locations is strongly uniform. The mean velocity varies .4% across the entrance and exit planes. The turbulence level at the entrance and exit locations is approximately .2%. The tunnel was used to study a trailing vortex during its development at the wingtip and at 10 chordlengths downstream. The vortex was found to be well developed by 10 chordlengths. Helium bubble flow visualization was used to study the development of the vortex in the near-tip regions. Hot-wire anemometry was used to study the vortex at 10 chordlengths. Two vortices were found in the tip-flow studies, a primary vortex core formed on the suction side surface of the wingtip and a weaker secondary vortex formed on the endcap. The primary vortex core lifts from the surface of the wingtip as it proceeds along the chord. The vertical displacement is a strong function of angle of attack. The primary vortex is displaced from the endcap towards the wing root at the trailing edge. The spanwise displacement is a strong function of chord Reynolds number. The primary and secondary vortices co-rotate after leaving the wing, and the primary vortex core follows a steady helical path. The radius of the helical path quickly diminishes with downstream distance."],"dc:description.degree":["Master of Science"],"dc:format.medium":["BTD"],"dc:format.mimetype":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier.other":["etd-01102009-063459"],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/10919/40571"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:publisher":["Virginia Tech"],"dc:rights":["In Copyright"],"dc:rights.uri":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dc:subject":["wind affect"],"dc:title":["A wind tunnel investigation of a wing-tip trailing vortex"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"dc:type.dcmitype":["Text"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Aerospace Engineering"],"thesis:degree_level":["masters"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science"],"thesis:institution_name":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:19:48Z"}