> Week 9 - First Attempts at FlowViz
Today our group spend the entire lab period working through our test matrix for our surfboard fin FlowViz.
Unfortunately, we had a few issues with the dye injection equipment; however, we will be returning back on Monday to do another run through of the FlowViz test matrix.
Earlier this week, I used my housemate’s 3D printer (with permission) to print out both models of the surfboard fins that we would be working with.
The Lost Coast design is pictured behind the standard fin design. Both models appeared to print fairly well, which I was happy with since I was worried about how it was going to handle the very fine trailing edge. I designed the holes that would be used for fixture in the water tunnel to be 1/4″ in diameter, but they printed slightly smaller than expected. This was not too much of an issue as we ended up just drilling out the hole to the correct size on the day of the lab.
Will and I arrived an hour before our scheduled testing time to make sure the fins would attach to the dowels and that the dowels would turn properly. With the use of a ball bearing from a Boeing fidget spinner (thanks Boeing), Will created a fantastic mounting system with an angle indicator.
We were finally ready to begin the dynamic testing of both fins. Our idea was that we would begin with the dynamic testing before we ended up dirtying up the water, so we could get as many runs as we wanted. The dynamic tests seemed to work fairly well, although we did need to run the water at a higher speed to help the fins return to 0 degrees. After running each test several times, we were ready to begin our FlowViz sequence.
Dr. Doig suggested that we should fill the water level higher and to use a new grid background with lights illuminating the background. So we got to work setting up the additional equipment by cleaning off the new background and glass.
Unfortunately when we got to use the dye injector, a crucial component broke off, so we ended up spending about 20 minutes trying to fix it. Even after we fixed it (with support from our favorite T.A, Tynan), the dye injector still was a bit faulty. Pressure loss was a huge issue with our pump system, so we had to rely on using the hand-pump to keep the dye stream ejecting consistently.
We ran through most of our static test matrix as best we could, but unfortunately there was not enough time to get it completely right. Nonetheless, it was great practice for this upcoming Monday and I think we should be able to get even better visuals for our presentation on Wednesday.
One of the ‘cooler’ flow phenomenon that was observed in our experiment was when we turned the fin sharply and saw a vortex that would wrap in the direction of motion of the fin. There is a video below that showcases this occurrence below this post. It looks like that the flow wants to stay attached to the geometry so it gets “pulled” over with the fin. Not only does it get pulled in the same direction, but it also moves up the geometry. We are planning to obtain more visuals like this in order to understand the flow features better.
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JESS THE FIGIT SPINNER POLICE (that dabs) Look at my beautiful daughter
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Look what my grandpa catfish n grandma pam got me. Tbh these are kinda fun. #spinner #figitspinner #prettyneat
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So...my dad beat in buying one #figitspinner
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I JUST WALKED INTO A PIZZA STORE AND I SWEAR THIS KID JUST SWOOPS IN ON A HOVERBOARD WHILE SPINNING A FUCKING FIGiT SPINNER THING AND LIKE IVE LITERALLY NEVER HATED A PERSON MORE😂
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So I was watching Supernatural.... Someone take the Internet away from me
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