Schlieren Visualization of Airflow around a MAV, 2016 by Phred Petersen from RIT Photo on Vimeo.

Phred Petersen

Schlieren Visualization of Airflow around an MAV, 2016

High-speed video; 300mm f/10 Z-mirror Schlieren system; Phantom v2511 camera; 10,000 fps at 1280x720 pixels

RMIT University
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

A three-color, direction-indicating Schlieren setup was used to visualize the airflow around a Micro Air Vehicle (MAV). Alcohol vapor was used to see the downdraft at startup. At lift-off, hot air columns from two small butane torches tracked the surrounding airflow. This video contributes to understanding the aerodynamics of MAVs.