简介:Aerodynamic structures generated by animals in flight are unstable and complex. Recent progress
in quantitative flow visualization has advanced our understanding of animal
aerodynamics, but measurements have hitherto b简介:Aerodynamic structures generated by animals in flight are unstable and complex. Recent progress
in quantitative flow visualization has advanced our understanding of animal
aerodynamics, but measurements have hitherto been limited to flow velocities at a plane
through the wake. We applied an emergent, high-speed, volumetric fluid imaging technique
(tomographic particle image velocimetry) to examine segments of the wake of desert locusts,
capturing fully three-dimensional instantaneous flow fields. We used those flow fields to
characterize the aerodynamic footprint in unprecedented detail and revealed previously
unseen wake elements that would have gone undetected by two-dimensional or stereoimaging
technology. Vortex iso-surface topographies show the spatio-temporal signature of
aerodynamic force generation manifest in the wake of locusts, and expose the extent to
which animal wakes can deform, potentially leading to unreliable calculations of lift and
thrust when using conventional diagnostic methods.We discuss implications for experimental
design and analysis as volumetric flow imaging becomes more widespread.详细>