Rebounding Vortices (2D)

The pictures show a pair of vortices that drifts towards a cylinder and rebounds from it. The vortices might originally come from another body that is not shown. The pictures illustrate the complex interactions that can occur in flows, such as the interaction between wings and tail surfaces in stalling and spinning airplanes, or between the blades in turbines or helicopter rotors, in car engines, for bridges, and in many other applications.

Click on any picture for a larger version.

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