Eur. Phys. J. Special Topics 182, 51-63 (2010)
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjst/e2010-01225-0

Review

Surface oil flow visualization

Aerodynamics Research Center, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019-0018, USA

^a e-mail: franklu@uta.edu

Abstract

A brief review of the use of surface oil flow visualization (SOFV) in wind tunnel testing is provided. The first part of the review discusses the concept of flow separation in three-dimensions and the resulting surface topology. This is followed by a review of the SOFV technique and its ability to reveal surface topologies in three-dimensional flow. The discussion is illustrated by examples. The application of modern digital techniques is highlighted.