LAUSR

ABSTRACT An improved smoke-wire flow visualization technique using a large capacitor as the power source was proposed. Electric current discharged from capacitors was used to heat a fine metal wire suspended in the flow field. The oil droplets attached to the wire were vaporized and smoke filaments followed the flow motions. A digital camera was used to record the images of the smoke filaments. The actions of discharging and camera shutter were triggered by signals from a microcontroller to ensure the accurate timing. Clear images of the streaklines were captured at a free-stream velocity up to 12.9 m/s, much higher than the limits of the existing techniques.