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Horseshoe Vortex

This document contains lecture notes on 3-D vortex filaments and lifting-line theory. It discusses the properties of 3-D vortices based on Helmholtz's vortex theorems, including that the vortex strength is constant along its length. It also derives the Biot-Savart law for calculating the velocity field of a general 3-D vortex. The document then discusses lifting-line theory, including modeling a wing using a horseshoe vortex and trailing vortex sheets, and deriving relationships between circulation distribution, downwash, and induced drag.

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409 views4 pages

Horseshoe Vortex

This document contains lecture notes on 3-D vortex filaments and lifting-line theory. It discusses the properties of 3-D vortices based on Helmholtz's vortex theorems, including that the vortex strength is constant along its length. It also derives the Biot-Savart law for calculating the velocity field of a general 3-D vortex. The document then discusses lifting-line theory, including modeling a wing using a horseshoe vortex and trailing vortex sheets, and deriving relationships between circulation distribution, downwash, and induced drag.

Uploaded by

chirag
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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F6 Lecture Notes

1. 3-D Vortex Filaments


2. Lifting-Line Theory
Reading: Anderson 5.1

3-D Vortex Filaments


General 3-D vortex
A 2-D vortex, which we have examined previously, can be considered as a 3-D vortex which
is straight and extending to . Its velocity eld is
V =

2r

Vr = 0

Vz = 0

(2-D vortex)

In contrast, a general 3-D vortex can take any arbitrary shape. However, it is subject to the
Helmholtz Vortex Theorems:
1) The strength of the vortex is constant all along its length
2) The vortex cannot end inside the uid. It must either
a) extend to , or

b) end at a solid boundary, or

c) form a closed loop.

Proofs of these theorems is beyond scope here. However, they are easy to apply in ow
modeling situations.

2D Vortex

3D Vortices

The velocity eld of a vortex of general shape is given by the Biot-Savart Law .
(x, y, z) =
V
4

d r
|r|3

(general 3-D vortex)

The integration is performed along the entire length of the vortex, with r extending from
the point of integration to the eld point x, y, z. The arc length element d points along the
lament, in the direction of positive by right hand rule.

x, y, z

d
1

Straight-vortex case
As a check, we can perform the Biot-Savart integral for the case of a straight vortex. Dene
h as the nearest perpendicular distance of the eld point from the vortex line, and as the
angle between the vortex line and the radius vector r. We then have
h
sin
h
=
tan
h
d =
d
sin2

r |r| =

d r = (d r sin )
where is the unit vector in the tangential direction.

r
V

=0

integration limits

=+

The Biot-Savart can now be recast and evaluated as follows.

V =
4h

sin d =

2h

As expected, this recovers the 2-D vortex oweld for this particular case.

Lifting-Line Theory
Wing vortex model
A very simple model for the oweld about lifting wing is the superposition of a freestream
ow and a horseshoe vortex . The horseshoe vortex consists of three segments: a bound
vortex spanning the wing, connected to two trailing vortices at each wing tip. As required
by Helmholtzs vortex theorems, the circulation is constant along the entire vortex line, and
the vortex line extends downstream to innity. Although this model qualitatively reproduces

L = V

the observed tip vortices, it is not well suited for accurate prediction of overall wing lift and
induced drag. The main deciency is that its local lift/span L = V
is constant across
the span, which is not very realistic. On a real wing, L always falls gradually to zero at the
tip. Another deciency is that the induced drag predicted by this model is wildly inaccurate,
when compared to more rened models or experimental data.
A better oweld model employs multiple distributed horseshoe vortices as shown in the
gure. Each horseshoe vortex has a constant strength along its length and hence obeys
Helmholtzs theorem. Spreading the trailing vortices across the span rather than all at the
tip allows a nonuniform spanwise circulation (y) and corresponding loading L (y) to be
represented.

(y)

L(y) = V (y)

The gure shows only a few horseshoe vortices on the wing, but one can conceptually sub

divide these into more and more vortices of decreasing strength, which in the limit become

a trailing vortex sheet with strength (y). The strength of the sheet can be determined by

(y)

+ d

(y)

d
dy

(y)
considering a small change of circulation d between spanwise stations y and y + dy. By
Helmholtzs theorem, the dy-wide sheet strip trailing between those two stations must have
a circulation d. This then gives the local sheet strength (y).
dy = d
or

d
dy

Downwash distribution
The trailing vortex sheet will have a downwash distribution w along the span. Consider
a dy-wide strip of the sheet at location y, which forms a semi-innite straight vortex with
circulation dy. The velocity of this vortex at some other location yo on the y-axis is
dw =

dy
(d/dy) dy
=
4(yo y)
4(yo y)
3

where w is now dened positive up, in the +z direction. The factor of 4 rather than 2
appears because the strip is a semi-innite vortex, with half the velocity contribution of a
doubly-innite vortex.

dw

yo

(y)

dy
dy

Integrating over all the wake strips gives the overall vertical velocity distribution of the whole
trailing sheet.
1 b/2 d dy
w(yo ) =
4 b/2 dy yo y
The induced angle distribution is therefore
w(yo )
1 b/2 d dy
i (yo ) =
=
V
4V
b/2 dy yo y
which is dened positive down, as before.
We have obtained an important result, namely a quantitative relation between the circulation
distribution (yo ), which gives the lift, and the downwash angle distribution i (yo ), which
will give the lift slope and the induced drag of the wing. The required analysis and calculation
method used to obtain the lift and induced drag will be addressed in the subsequent lectures.

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