Visualization of vortex breakdown on a delta wing

An account is given of the results obtained by a flow visualization study of the roll-up, breakdown position, and spiral- or bubble-type breakdown characteristics of an 85-deg sweep, flat-plate delta wing at large angles-of-attack. The two different breakdown modes were noted to metamorphose into each other, with the bubble-type phenomenon appearing to prefer a more upstream location relative to the spiral mode. In those instances when the breakdown location was changing, the breakdown took the form of a bubble when moving forward, and spiral when moving aft.