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At the ONERA hydrodynamic visualization laboratory, high-speed photography and cinematography are used for analysing flow-phenomena around fixed or mobile models in the test section of three vertical water tunnels, operating by gravity draining. These studies in water are based on the hydraulic analogy of aerodynamic incompressible flows. Flow visualization is archieved by liquid tracers (dye emissions) or gaseous tracers (fine air bubbles in suspension in water). In many cases, the pictures at normal speed or long exposure time are insufficient, for they do not permit to distinguish all the details of the phenomena, due to an averaging or motion effect. Furthermore they must be completed with high speed pictures. This is illustrated by a few visua-lization examples recently obtained on following themes - two dimensional flow around a fixed cylinder, first at the start of the flow (symmetrical vortex), then in steady regime (periodic vortex street) ; - laminar-turbulent transition in a boundary layer along a cylindrical body at zero angle of attack ; - flow separation around a sphere and wake in steady regime at small and high Reynolds numbers; - flow separation around a profile, first with fixed incidence, then with harmonic oscillations in pitch ; - core structure of a longitudinal vortex issued from a wing first organized, then disintegrated under the effect of a lengthwise pressure gradient (vortex breakdown) ; - mixing zone around a turbulent axisymmetric jet, characterized by the formation of large vortex struc-tures ; - hovering tests of an helicopter rotor, first at the start of the rotation, then in established regime, finally in cruise flight ; - case of a complete helicopter model in cruise-flight, with air-intake simulation, gas exhaust and tail rotor ; - flow around a complete delta-wing aircraft model at mean or high angle of attack, first in steady regime, then with harmonic oscillations in yaw or pitch. These results illustrate the contribution of the high speed view recording and reveal the wide variety Nlpf their applications in both fundamental fluid mechanics and aerospace applied research.
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