This research proposes to make a major advance in determining the details of turbulent flows by using digital image processing and tracking techniques to obtain complete instantaneous measurements (velocity vectors, vorticity, and strain fields) in space and time for several well-established turbulent flows in boundary layers and in pipe flows. Detailed vector velocity field data in both space and time will be obtained by a frame-by-frame tracking of particle flow markers in stereoscopic films. From these measurements, vorticity and strain rate fields will be calculated. To accomplish this analysis, massive amounts of data must be processed in a reasonably automatic way. This research proposes to establish the type of digital information needed from the visual records and then develop the software necessary to extract that information in an efficient manner.
