Buffeting of a Fin

Buffeting of a fin.  Vortex breakdown occurring along a delta wing generates patterns of vorticity concentrations, which, in turn, interact with a fin. As shown in the top image, concentrations of negative (yellow) vorticity appear along the leading-edge of the fin, and lower level concentrations over its surface. These concentrations can be related to the predominant frequencies of the surface pressure spectra on the fin. The time-averaged flow pattern, which is represented by the (white) streamlines, shows a large-scale vortical flow due to flow separation on the outboard side of the fin. [33] Related investigations are described in [32,34,35,36].