The flow in the wake of single and two interacting air bubbles freely rising in water is studied experimentally using digital-particle-image-velocimetry in combination with high-speed recording. The experiments focus on ellipsoidal bubbles of diameter of about 0.4–0.8 cm which show spiraling, zigzagging, and rocking motion during their rise in water, which was seeded with small tracer particles for flow visualization. Under counterflow conditions in the vertical channel, the bubbles are retained in the center of the observation region, which allows the wake oscillations and bubble interaction to be observed over several successive periods. By simultaneous diffuse illumination in addition to the light sheet, we were able to record both the path and shape oscillations of the bubble, as well as the wake structure in a horizontal and vertical cross section. The results show that the zigzagging motion is coupled to a regular generation and discharge of alternate oppositely oriented hairpin-like vortex structures. Associated with the wake oscillation, the bubble experiences a strong asymmetric deformation in the equatorial plane at the inversion points of the zigzag path. The zigzag motion is superimposed on a small lateral drift of the bubble, which implies the existence of a net lift force. This is explained by the observed different strength of the hairpin vortices in the zig and zag path; a seemingly familiar phenomenon was found in recent numerical results of the sphere wake flow. For spiraling bubbles the wake is approximately steady to an observer moving with the bubble. It consists of a twisted pair of streamwise vortex filaments which are wound in a helical path and are attached to the bubble base at an asymmetrical position. The minor axis of the bubble is tilted in the tangential plane as well as in the radial plane toward the spiral center. Due to the pressure field induced by the asymmetrically attached wake two components of the lift force exist, one that causes the lateral motion and the other a centripetal force that keeps the bubble on a circular path. A mechanism is proposed to explain the reason for one bubble to spiral or to zigzag. Experiments with two simultaneous released bubbles show that bubble interaction is strongly triggered by the wake dynamics. Once a bubble is captured in the wake of a rocking bubble, it accelerates and rises via successive jumps until they collide. The jumps are explained by the upwards induction effect of the ring-like heads of the hairpin vortices being shed from the leading bubble. The final collision and repulsion thereafter abruptly enlarges the wake for a short moment, which is suggested to be one major contribution to the amplification of turbulence production in bubbly flows.

This study investigates the aerodynamics of the falcon Falco peregrinus while diving. During a dive peregrines can reach velocities of more than 320 km h−1. Unfortunately, in freely roaming falcons, these high velocities prohibit a precise determination of flight parameters such as velocity and acceleration as well as body shape and wing contour. Therefore, individual F. peregrinus were trained to dive in front of a vertical dam with a height of 60 m. The presence of a well-defined background allowed us to reconstruct the flight path and the body shape of the falcon during certain flight phases. Flight trajectories were obtained with a stereo high-speed camera system. In addition, body images of the falcon were taken from two perspectives with a high-resolution digital camera. The dam allowed us to match the high-resolution images obtained from the digital camera with the corresponding images taken with the high-speed cameras. Using these data we built a life-size model of F. peregrinus and used it to measure the drag and lift forces in a wind-tunnel. We compared these forces acting on the model with the data obtained from the 3-D flight path trajectory of the diving F. peregrinus. Visualizations of the flow in the wind-tunnel uncovered details of the flow structure around the falcon’s body, which suggests local regions with separation of flow. High-resolution pictures of the diving peregrine indicate that feathers pop-up in the equivalent regions, where flow separation in the model falcon occurred.

A new optical sensor technique based on a sensor film with arrays of hair-like flexible micropillars on the surface is presented to measure the temporal and spatial wall shear stress field in boundary layer flows. The sensor principle uses the pillar tip deflection in the viscous sublayer as a direct measure of the wall shear stress. The pillar images are recorded simultaneously as a grid of small bright spots by high-speed imaging of the illuminated sensor film. Two different ways of illumination were tested, one of which uses the fact that the transparent pillars act as optical microfibres, which guide the light to the pillar tips. The other method uses pillar tips which were reflective coated. The tip displacement field of the pillars is measured by image processing with subpixel accuracy. With a typical displacement resolution on the order of 0.2 μm, the minimum resolvable wall friction value is τw≈20 mPa. With smaller pillar structures than those used in this study, one can expect even smaller resolution limits

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The factors contributing to human voice production are not yet fully understood. Even normal human phonation with a symmetric glottal opening area is still the subject of extensive investigation. Among others, it has already been shown that fluid dynamics has a strong influence on the vocal process. The full characterization of the glottal jet has not been accomplished yet. Time-resolved measurement and visualization of the three-dimensional (3D) flow downstream the human vocal folds are difficult if not impossible to perform in vivo. Therefore, it is common to use mechanical and numerical models with a simplified shape and motion profile of the vocal folds. In this article, further results regarding the 3D flow structure obtained in a 3:1 up-scaled dynamic glottis model (cam model) in a water circuit are given, extending earlier work [M. Triep et al. (2005). Exp. Fluids 39, 232-245]. The model mimics the temporal variation in the 3D contour of the glottal gap while water flow reduces the characteristic frequencies by the order of 1/140. The unsteady flow processes downstream of the vocal folds are visualized in slow motion and analyzed in detail via particle imaging techniques. The visualization results show complex 3D flow behavior of lengthwise jet contraction and axis switching. In addition, the time-dependent flow rate during the phonatory oscillation cycle is measured in detail. It is shown that the pressure loss is decreased in the presence of a second constriction downstream of the glottis in form of ventricular folds and it is observed that for this case the jet is stabilized in the divergent phase of the cycle.