Simultaneous measurement of surface topography and subsurface velocity field in free-surface turbulent flow

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Semati, Ali, Shankaran, Adharsh, Smeltzer, Benjamin K., Æsøy, Eirik, Hearst, R. Jason, Ellingsen, Simen Å.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Semati, Ali
Shankaran, Adharsh
Smeltzer, Benjamin K.
Æsøy, Eirik
Hearst, R. Jason
Ellingsen, Simen Å.
author_facet Semati, Ali
Shankaran, Adharsh
Smeltzer, Benjamin K.
Æsøy, Eirik
Hearst, R. Jason
Ellingsen, Simen Å.
contents This work presents a novel combination of two well-established techniques: particle image velocimetry (PIV) and fringe projection profilometry (FPP). Despite seemingly conflicting requirements -- PIV requires a transparent fluid, while FPP requires an opaque surface to project onto -- both requirements are met by adding fluorescein disodium salt, a fluorescent dye, to the water. This dye strongly absorbs the blue light projected onto the surface for FPP while interacting weakly with the green laser light used for PIV, achieving simultaneous opacity and transparency depending on colour. However, this approach presents several challenges, which we are able to solve with a combination of optical filters on the projector and cameras. A series of validation experiments were performed to assess the accuracy of surface elevation measurements at various dye concentrations. The technique was then demonstrated for the case of a vortex street generated by a cylinder interacting with surface waves. Our results show that a dye concentration of 12\,mg/L, although insufficient to make the water opaque to the projected light, yields a mean absolute error in surface elevation of only 20 micrometres.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_22641
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Simultaneous measurement of surface topography and subsurface velocity field in free-surface turbulent flow
Semati, Ali
Shankaran, Adharsh
Smeltzer, Benjamin K.
Æsøy, Eirik
Hearst, R. Jason
Ellingsen, Simen Å.
Fluid Dynamics
Instrumentation and Detectors
This work presents a novel combination of two well-established techniques: particle image velocimetry (PIV) and fringe projection profilometry (FPP). Despite seemingly conflicting requirements -- PIV requires a transparent fluid, while FPP requires an opaque surface to project onto -- both requirements are met by adding fluorescein disodium salt, a fluorescent dye, to the water. This dye strongly absorbs the blue light projected onto the surface for FPP while interacting weakly with the green laser light used for PIV, achieving simultaneous opacity and transparency depending on colour. However, this approach presents several challenges, which we are able to solve with a combination of optical filters on the projector and cameras. A series of validation experiments were performed to assess the accuracy of surface elevation measurements at various dye concentrations. The technique was then demonstrated for the case of a vortex street generated by a cylinder interacting with surface waves. Our results show that a dye concentration of 12\,mg/L, although insufficient to make the water opaque to the projected light, yields a mean absolute error in surface elevation of only 20 micrometres.
title Simultaneous measurement of surface topography and subsurface velocity field in free-surface turbulent flow
topic Fluid Dynamics
Instrumentation and Detectors
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.22641