Vortices are some of the most visually appealing phenomena of
fluid mechanics. Vortical flows include everything from the
familiar bathtub vortex, vortices resulting from separation,
starting vortices, wingtip vortices, and hurricanes and tornadoes.
Vortical flows are both aesthetically pleasing and play an essential
role in many applications. It should be no surprise that vortex dynamics
is an important sub-topic in fluid mechanics.
The image at the right depicts two counter-rotating vortices as they
interact with a rigid circular cylinder. Their initial translation
is caused by their interaction and the upward directed jet produced
in the gap between them. Once they collide with the cylinder,
they produce an unsteady separation and another pair of vortices
having a rotation which opposes the original pair of vortices. This image was
generated by Dr. S. Subramaniam and is undoubtedly part of the
unsteady separation work being conducted by Professor van Dommelen's
group in FSU. Click on the image to go to his site.
At the links below, you will find a few of the images of vortices
I have collected. Click away and enjoy!
