Falling Flexible Sheets

TL;DR

This paper presents fluid dynamics simulations of flexible sheets falling in an inviscid fluid, revealing complex behaviors like buckling, vortex shedding, and diverse trajectories such as circling and flapping.

Contribution

It introduces a simulation approach for flexible bodies in fluid flow, highlighting vortex shedding and dynamic behaviors not extensively studied before.

Findings

Flexible sheets exhibit buckling at critical speeds.

Vortex shedding influences the trajectories of falling sheets.

Complex motions include circling and quasi-periodic flapping.

Abstract

We present a fluid dynamics video showing simulations of flexible bodies falling in an inviscid fluid. Vortex sheets are shed from the trailing edges of the bodies according to the Kutta condition. The basic behavior is a repeated series of accelerations to a critical speed at which the sheet buckles, and rapidly decelerates, shedding large vortices. Examples of persistent circling, quasi-periodic flapping, and more complex trajectories are shown.