Experimental Results on Vorticity Shedding at the Edge of a Flat Plate in Two-Dimensional Flow

A two-dimensional test was performed on a flat plate normal to a low subsonic flow to investigate the relationship between the vorticity shed at an edge and the vorticity appearing in the shear layer adjacent to the edge. Both a sharp and rounded edge were provided on the plate. A splitter plate was used to create a steady wake flow behind the plate. The measurements made were velocities in the flow field, static pressures on the model upstream and downstream surfaces, and surface flow visualization. A laser velocimeter was used to obtain the velocity measurements. Analysis of the data was performed to calculate circulation and vorticity transport rate in the flow adjacent to the edge and vorticity transport rate of the flow separating from the edge.