Wingtip vortex dynamics at low Reynolds numbers under the influence of turbulence

Abstract The influence of turbulence on the aerodynamics of a NACA0012 wing and the behavior of the associated wingtip vortex is investigated at a chord-based Reynolds number of 5000. The study is conducted through water tunnel experiments using a half-wing setup with an aspect ratio of 6 and an angle of attack of 10 degrees. At this low Reynolds number, relevant for aerodynamics at low-speed, the flow over a stationary wing exhibits laminar separation. Longitudinal Particle Image Velocimetry (P