Finite Amplitude Waves on Aircraft Trailing Vortices

Abstract

Summary Numerical methods are used to study the growth of waves of finite amplitude on a pair of parallel infinite vortices. The vortices are treated as lines except in so far as the detailed structure of the core is needed to remove consistently the singularity in the line integrals for the velocities of the vortices. It is shown that the vortices eventually touch and the shape of the wave at this instant is calculated. The wave is quite distorted at this instant, but it is shown that its gross properties are given roughly by linear theory.