The flow field near the centre of a rolled-up vortex sheet

Abstract
Most of the existing methods for calculating the inviscid flow past a delta wing with leading-edge vortices are based on slender-body theory. When these vortices are represented by rolled-up vortex sheets in an otherwise irrotational flow, some of the assumptions of slender-body theory are violated near the centres of the spirals. The aim of the present report is to describe for the vortex core an alternative method in which only the assumption of a conical velocity field is made. An asymptotic solution valid near the centre of a rolled-up vortex sheet is derived for incompressible flow. Further asymptotic solutions are determined for two-dimensional flow fields with vortex sheets which vary with time in such a manner that the sheets remain similar in shape. A particular two-dimensional flow corresponds to the slender theory approximation for conical sheets.

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