Wind tunnel simulation of full scale vortices.
An experimental investigation has been conducted to determine the important scaling parameters for the flow in the core region of a vortex generated by a rectangular wing tip. The effect of an unconventional planform, the ogee tip, on the tip vortex is also determined. Data were measured for wing pitch angles of 6 and 9 deg at Mach numbers of 0.2, 0.5, and 0.6 for Reynolds numbers ranging from 440,000 to 7,000,000 using a triaxial hot wire probe. The probe was located at 2 and 5 chordlengths downstream from the trailing edge of the 4.25 inch and 26.0 inch chord wings. For rectangular planform wings, the measured vortex core diameter to chord ratios, peak tangential velocity ratios, and axial velocity ratios are shown to be functions only of wing lift coefficient and elapsed time from vortex formation, and appear to be independent of both Mach number and Reynolds number.