Influence of nose perturbations on behaviors of asymmetric vortices over slender body

The influence of nose perturbations on the behaviors of asymmetric vortices over a slender body with a three-caliber ogive nose is studied in this paper. The tests of a nose-disturbed slender body with surface pressure measurement were conducted at a low speed wind tunnel with subcritical Reynolds number of 1×105 at angle of attack α=50°. The experiment results show that the behaviors and structure of asymmetric vortices over the slender body are mainly controlled by manual perturbation on the nose of body as compared with geometrical minute irregularities on the test model from the machining tolerances. The effect of the perturbation axial location on asymmetric vortices is the strongest if its location is near the model apex. There are four sensitive circumferential locations of manual perturbation at which bistable vortices over the slender body are switched by the perturbation. The flowfield near the reattachment line of lee side is more sensitive to the perturbation, because the saddle point to saddle point topological structure in this reattachment flowfield is unstable. Various types of perturbation do not change the perturbation effect on the behaviors of bistable asymmetric vortices.