An experimental investigation of flow fields downstream of solid and porous fences

Wind tunnel experiments were conducted under highly turbulent and disturbed flow conditions over a bluff/porous plate with a long splitter plate in its plane of symmetry. The effect of plate porosity on fluctuating pressures measured across and along the separation bubble was studied. In addition to fluctuating pressures, mean-velocity measurements and surface mean-pressure distributions were measured after preliminary flow visualization studies. The Reynolds number based on the width of the two-dimensional body was 2.4 x 10(4). Mean pressures were found to be strongly dependent on porosity. The study also showed that both at the surface and within the flow, the fluctuating pressures showed significant dependence on the porosity of the forebody. A 60% porous fence was found to reduce the fluctuating pressures in the flow field by about 50% in contrast to a solid fence. The results presented in this paper are a part of an ongoing experimental investigation undertaken on solid and porous fences.