PIV measurement of the flow around an irregularly shaped body

Abstract

This paper deals with the demonstration measurement of the vector field flowing around a general irregular body using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). In the case of flow around complex bodies, problems arise due to the fact that the generated single laser sheet does not cover the entire surroundings of the body and the body itself shields the laser. A simple solution has been chosen, and that is the gradual repositioning of the laser optics, recording data from individual positions step-by-step, and subsequent merging of the vector fields. The measurement and evaluation workflow is described. The averaged velocity data are presented. The overlapping areas of each field are presented in graphs and as vector maps individually and merged. The problematic circumstances of the chosen approach are described, and their solution is proposed. The chosen principle is functional. However, care must be taken to observe the current conditions between measurements of individual areas.