Caltech Library System

About | Browse | Search | Caltech Student Instructions

Type of Document	Dissertation
Author	Campbell, George Stuart
URN	etd-03192004-142218
Persistent URL	http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechETD:etd-03192004-142218
Title	Turbulence in the wake of a thin airfoil at low speeds
Degree	PhD
Option	Aeronautics
Advisory Committee	Advisor Name Title H.W. Liepmann Committee Chair
Keywords	none
Date of Defense	1956-01-01
Availability	unrestricted
Abstract Experiments have been made to determine the nature of turbulence in the wake of a two-dimensional airfoil at low speeds. The experiments were motivated by the need for data which can be used for analysis of the tail-buffeting problem in aircraft design. Turbulent intensity and power spectra of the velocity fluctuations were measured at a Reynolds number 1.6 x 10[superscript 5] for several angles of attack. Total-head measurements were also obtained in an attempt to relate steady and fluctuating wake properties. Mean-square downwash was found to have nearly the same dependence on vertical position in the wake as that shown by total-head loss. For this particular wing, turbulent intensity, integrated across the wake, increased roughly as the 3 /2 power of the drag coefficient. Power-spectrum measurements indicated a decrease in frequency as wing angle of attack was increased. The average frequency in the wake was proportional to the ratio of mean wake velocity to wake width.
Files	Filename       Size       Approximate Download Time (Hours:Minutes:Seconds)     28.8 Modem   56K Modem   ISDN (64 Kb)   ISDN (128 Kb)   Higher-speed Access    Campbell_gs_1956.pdf 2.44 Mb 00:11:18 00:05:48 00:05:05 00:02:32 00:00:13