Mean Flow Measurements Near the Plane of an Open Rotor Operating with an Inlet Velocity Gradient

As part of a study on the structure of a trailing vortex, laser doppler anemometer (LDA) measurements were made of the flow field near an open rotor having an inlet velocity gradient. The measurements were made in the 1.22 m dia water tunnel of the Applied Research Laboratory at The Pennsylvania State University. Velocity data were obtained for rotor inlet and outlet flow fields for several different inlet velocity gradients. Velocity data were also obtained downstream of the rotor plane that shows the vortex structure. Flow field measurements show the development of the downstream vortex motion. Small variations in the inlet velocity gradient near the rotor wall caused large differences in the structure of the trailing vortex. In addition, a measured downstream velocity profile is compared with a calculated velocity profile.