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Generation of an isolated vortex gust through a heaving and pitching foil
Phys. Rev. Fluids 11, 094702 – Published 8 September, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/mv3n-j8bd
Abstract
This study introduces a vortex gust generation method for isolated vortices impacting a downstream airfoil that is applicable to both numerical simulations and experiments. The vortex gust is generated by a symmetric airfoil undergoing a rapid pitching maneuver during a prescribed heaving motion. The resulting vortices propagate along trajectories nearly parallel to the incoming flow, while the associated wake extends obliquely from the vortex core. Despite differences in Reynolds number, rapid pitching duration, and detailed vortex structure between simulations and experiments, consistent trends are observed in how the vortex rotation orientation, strength, and position vary with the prescribed motion parameters. Analysis of the lift response of the downstream airfoil shows that the aerodynamic influence associated with the wake does not persist over extended timescales. These results demonstrate that the proposed method enables the controlled generation of vortex gusts with prescribed characteristics, providing a flexible approach for systematic studies of vortex-airfoil interaction.
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