Starting flow and structures of the starting vortex behind bluff bodies with sharp edges

Experimental investigations were made in a water channel on the starting flow around several bluff bodies with sharp edges: flat plates, circular disks and hollow hemispheres. Details of the flow structures were visualized using the hydrogen bubble technique. Three-fold structures of the starting vortex behind flat plates were observed. The shedding of the vortex sheet from the edge was also studied.