Visualization for the thin layer flow induced by a rotating disk and its image analysis

Abstract

In this paper, we describes the flow visualization and the image analysis results for the thin layer flow induced by a rotating disk supported by a point-contact bearing, such as a pivot bearing. The visualization images are digitized into a personal computer to obtain velocity vectors maps using a PIV algorithm, direct cross-correlation method. The resulting velocity maps show the strong shear and unsteadiness in the thin layer.