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Wake Turbulence

Videns From Argentina, joined Mar 2004, 133 posts, RR: 0
Posted (8 years 10 months 2 weeks 14 hours ago) and read 996 times:

How does the wake turbulence off of a heavies wingtips compare to the wake turbulence of say a C130J which has 4X 6 blades on the engines plus the wings...
Do the exposed rotating blades become an issue when it comes to wake vortices, or is it just the same as with a jet engine?

answers appreciated...

Travel? Why would i travel if I can watch it on TV?

3 replies: All unread, jump to last

HaveBlue From United States of America, joined Jan 2004, 2069 posts, RR: 1
Reply 1, posted (8 years 10 months 2 weeks 14 hours ago) and read 958 times:

Wake turbulence has nothing to do with the engines. It is the amount of load on the wing, and the resultant differential pressure between the hp on the bottom of the wing and the low pressure on top. Heavy, clean, slow flight produces the most wake turbulence, which is much more noticeable in heavies. The jet or prop exhaust is not what is being referred to when speaking about wake turbulence.

Here Here for Severe Clear!

Videns From Argentina, joined Mar 2004, 133 posts, RR: 0
Reply 2, posted (8 years 10 months 2 weeks 13 hours ago) and read 938 times:

I'm not talking about the exhaust of the engine.
Every wing, being an airfoil, creates a wake vortex. Prop blades are airfoils too, and, on a C130J there's a whole bunch of them (24 prop blades plus the wings and horizontal stabilizers). That's what's making me wonder how much of a difference there is between a heavy wing and 24 little ones (the prop blades)...

Travel? Why would i travel if I can watch it on TV?

Oly720man From United Kingdom, joined May 2004, 6182 posts, RR: 11
Reply 3, posted (8 years 10 months 2 weeks 11 hours ago) and read 846 times:

Don't confuse wake turbulence and vortex wake, they're different. Turbulence itself is an area of disturbed flow without any recognisable structure. A vortex is a well organised flow region. Eventually it will break down into turbulence.

With propeller blades, the tip vortices are very close to each other and are smaller than the wing tip vortices. Being close together they tend to interact with each other and destroy each other, or they diffuse fairly quickly because they are relatively small. Instead of a vortex wake from the propeller there is a large rotating area of flow behind the propeller that soon diffuses.

If anything, prop wakes on the C130 are the biggest problem to fighter aircraft refuelling behind them when the C130 is a tanker. Even then the wing tip vortex has a bigger impact than the prop wash. It's a bit harder for the pilots to use the wing refuelling station than any centre station, both to approach and to hold position. Generally fighters will approach from below so they stay clear of the wing wake and the prop wash.

Andy

Man City p3 w3 d0 l0 f4 a0 P9 - hey it may never happen again!

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