Abstract
Experiments on flow about simple bodies dropped in water tanks and shear layers in a water tunnel, were performed to study the application of the schlieren technique to water flow. It is verified that small residual temperature differences initially present in the fluid, lead to substantial temperature gradients near the surface of the models. The resulting gradients in index of refraction make the schlieren system a viable method of flow visualization. Finally, the experimental results are explained by estimates based on the geometrical optics of the system.
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Fiedler, H., Nottmeyer, K., Wegener, P.P. et al. Schlieren photography of water flow. Experiments in Fluids 3, 145–151 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00280452
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00280452