The motion of shock waves is important in many fields of engineering and increasingly so with medical applications and applications to inertial confinement fusion technologies. The flow structures that moving shock waves create when they encounter a change in area is complex and can be difficult to understand. Previousresearchers have carried out experimental studies and many numerical studies looking at this problem in more detail. There has been a discrepancy between numerical and experimental work which had remained unanswered. One of the aims of this project is to try and resolve the discrepancy between numerical and experimental work and try to investigate what experimental techniques are suitable for work of this type and the exact way in which they should be applied. Most previous work has focused on sharp changes in geometry which induce immediate flow separation. In this project rounded corners will also be investigated and the complex flow features will be analyzed.Two geometries, namely a sharp 172 degree knife-edge and a 2.8 mm radius rounded corner will be investigated at three experimental pressure ratios of 4, 8 and 12 using air as the driver gas. This yields experimental shock Mach numbers of 1.28, 1.46 and 1.55. High-speed schlieren and shadowgraph photography with varying levels of sensitivity were used to qualitatively investigate the wave structures. Particle image velocimetry (PIV), pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) and traditional pressure transducers were used to quantify the flow field. Numerical simulations were performed using the commercial package Fluent to investigate the effect of numerical schemes on the flow field produced and for comparison with the experimental results. The sharp geometry was simulated successfully using an inviscid simulation while the rounded geometry required the addition of laminar viscosity. Reynolds number effects will be only sparsely referred to in this project as the flows under investigation show largely inviscid characteristics. As the flow is developing in time rather than in space, quotation of a distance-based Reynolds number is not entirely appropriate; however, Reynolds number based on the same spatial location but varying in time will be mentioned. The density-based diagnostics in this project were designed to have a depth of field appropriate to the test under consideration. This approach has been used relatively few times despite its easy setup and significant impact on the results. This project contains the first quantative use of PIV and PSP to shock wave diffraction. Previous studies have almost exclusively used density-based diagnostics which, although give the best impression of the flow field, do not allow for complete analysis and explanation of all of the flow features present. PIV measurements showed a maximum uncertainty of 5% while the PSP measurements showed an uncertainty of approximately 10%.The shock wave diffraction process, vortex formation, shear layer structure, secondary and even tertiary expansions and the shock vortex interaction were investigate. The experimental results have shown that using one experimental technique in isolation can give misleading results. Only by using a combination of experimental techniques can we achieve a complete understanding of the flow field and draw conclusions on the validity of the numerical results. Expanding the range of the experimental techniques currently in use is vital for experimental aerodynamic testing to remain relevant in an industry increasingly dominated by numerical research. To this end, significant research work has been carried out on extending the range of the PSP technique to allow for the capture of shock wave diffraction, one of the fastest transient fluid processes, and for applications to low-speed flow (< 20 ms−1).

De nos jours, l’énergie délivrée par la combustion dépasse 80% de l‟énergie totale dans le monde, et ce pourcentage restera probablement élevé le long des 100 prochaines années. La plupart des systèmes réactifs qui génèrent la combustion turbulente sont utilisés dans la fabrication, le transport et l‟industrie pour la génération des puissances. Comme résultat, l‟émission des polluants est parmi les problèmes majeurs qui sont devenus des facteurs critiques dans notre société. Dans ce cadre, une étude détaillée des systèmes réactifs est alors nécessaire pour la conception de systèmes de haute performance qui s‟adaptent aux technologies modernes. L'optimisation des performances de ces systèmes énergétiques permet d‟une part d‟économiser l'énergie et d‟autre part de réduire la pollution. Les jets turbulents sont impliqués dans l'efficacité de ces divers systèmes. Dans le cas isotherme, la complexité des écoulements turbulents résulte principalement de la coexistence des structures de tailles très différentes et de l‟interaction non linéaire entre ces structures. Les plus grandes structures dépendent fortement de la géométrie du domaine considéré, elles sont donc anisotropes. De plus, elles ont une grande durée de vie et elles sont responsables du transport de la quasi-totalité de l'énergie. Les plus petites structures, quant à elles, ont souvent un caractère beaucoup plus "universel" (dû à leur comportement relativement isotrope) et sont à l'origine du processus de dissipation visqueuse. Prédire numériquement la dispersion et le mélange d‟un scalaire non réactif dans un écoulement turbulent est considéré comme un problème primordial et reste toujours actuel. Plusieurs recherches sont attachés à ce sujet afin d‟approfondir de plus à la connaissance de différents phénomènes pour pouvoir les mieux prédire. La prédiction numérique du mélange turbulent existant dans plusieurs applications industrielles et environnementales, a un important intérêt en génie chimique. Il est nécessaire donc de bien comprendre la majorité de propriétés du mélange et de l‟écoulement. En combustion, la complication du comportement des jets résulte de l‟interaction entre le dégagement de la chaleur, les processus de mélange, l'entraînement et la recirculation des gaz. Pour bien comprendre la complexité de ce phénomène, il est nécessaire de connaître parfaitement l'évolution dynamique et scalaire des jets turbulents isothermes en présence d'importantes différences de densité, comme elles peuvent lors de la combustion. Cette optimisation passe par la compréhension de l'effet de la variation des conditions d'entrée sur les processus de mélange dans le cas non réactif et sur la stabilité et la nature de la flamme dans le cas réactif. Ainsi, des études théoriques, expérimentales et numériques, doivent être menées en parallèle pour mieux identifier les effets d'une telle intervention. Bien des questions demeurent ouvertes dans le but de mieux caractériser les différents écoulements turbulents réactifs. Les objectifs des études menées dans ce domaine sont la réduction des émissions de polluants et l‟amélioration du rendement de combustion. Une compréhension du mélange et leur interaction avec les différents processus chimiques traduit donc un enjeu majeur. Elle est considéré alors comme un facteur déterminant la qualité des variétés des procèdes. Ce travail de thèse se base sur les jets coaxiaux qui constituent un cas particulier de jet axisymétrique. Ils sont communément rencontrés dans des différents brûleurs industriels qui assurent le contact entre le comburant et le carburant sous une forme de jets coaxiaux. Cette technique est le siège d‟une amélioration du mélange et de la stabilité des flammes. / Résumé non fourni

La valorisation des effluents gazeux à faible pouvoir calorifique, sous-produits de différents procédés industriels (gazéification du charbon ou de la biomasse, rejets industriels) apparait aujourd’hui comme une solution alternative pour accroître l’efficacité globale des systèmes de combustion par réduction des coûts énergétiques et contrôle des rejets dans l’environnement. Dans ce contexte, une étude expérimentale d'oxyflammes d'un gaz à très bas pouvoir calorifique, le gaz de haut fourneau (BFG), est réalisée pour évaluer l'effet conjoint de l'oxycombustion et du préchauffage des réactifs pour la stabilisation des flammes turbulentes. La configuration du brûleur consiste en un jet annulaire de gaz de haut fourneau (BFG), entouré de deux injections d’oxygène (interne ‘O2i’ et externe ‘O2e’). Son dimensionnement s’appuie sur une méthodologie originale basée sur la détermination d’une vitesse de convection critique UC* à l’extinction de flamme, dérivée d’une valeur expérimentale d'un nombre de Damköhler critique Dac*. Les structures de flammes sont caractérisées par imagerie de chimiluminescence OH* et les propriétés thermiques et chimiques sont évaluées par mesures de température et flux thermique à la paroi et de la composition des fumées. Les champs aérodynamiques 2D des écoulements réactifs sont mesurés par PIV. Quatre principales topologies de flamme sont observées avec cette configuration de brûleur et classées suivant leur mode de combustion. Sans préchauffage, les deux flammes concentriques, interne ‘O2i-BFG’ et externe ‘BFG-O2e’, sont attachées au brûleur à basse puissance (Type A) ; la flamme BFG-O2e peut présenter une stabilité intermittente (Type B), ou se décrocher du brûleur (Type C) à la puissance nominale de dimensionnement. Avec préchauffage des réactifs, la flamme annulaire BFG-O2e reste toujours accrochée au brûleur et la flamme centrale O2i-BFG présente une zone d’extinction locale pour des fortes valeurs de vitesse d’O2i (Type D). L’ensemble des résultats a permis de mettre en avant un bon accord entre les prédictions théoriques et les valeurs expérimentales de UC* avec un élargissement des domaines de stabilité de flamme avec le préchauffage. L'analyse aérodynamique permet de caractériser les transitions entre les structures de flammes. Une validation du critère de dimensionnement de l’oxy-brûleur est aussi effectuée par changement d’échelle, grâce à des mesures réalisées sur une installation semi-industrielle de 180 kW. / The effective utilisation of low calorific value fuel, as gaseous by-products of coal/biomass or industrial residual gases, provides not only excellent opportunities for low cost power generation but also for the reduction of environmental impact of combustion. The present work aims to consider the combination of oxyfuel combustion with fuel and/or oxygen preheating in order to increase thermal efficiency by heat recovery and enhance oxyfuel flame stabilization of blast furnace gas (BFG). This experimental study is performed with a burner consisting in an annular jet of BFG surrounded by two injections of oxygen (internal 'O2i' and external 'O2e'). Its dimensions are determined from an original design strategy based on an experimentally critical Damköhler number Dac*, which represents the theoretical limit of stabilisation of a turbulent diffusion BFG-O2 flame with preheated reactants. Flames structures are characterized by OH* chemiluminescence imaging. Thermal and chemical flame properties are evaluated by temperature and radiative flux analysis and pollutant emissions measurements. The 2D aerodynamic fields of reactive flows are determined by velocity measurements by PIV. Four LCV flames structures are resulting from this burner configuration. Without preheating, two concentric flames, internal 'O2i-BFG' and external 'BFG-O2e', are anchored at the burner (Type A) at low thermal power. When increasing the latter, the external flame BFG-O2e manifests some local fluctuations (Type B) or is lifted-off (Type C). With reactants preheating, the BFG-O2e flame is always anchored at the burner tip and the O2i-BFG flame could have local extinction zone for very high values of internal oxygen velocity (Type D). The results highlight a good agreement between theoretical and experimental critical velocity UC* which significantly increases with preheating. The aerodynamics study points out the transitions between the different flames structures. At semi-industrial scale, flames show similar structures to those obtained at laboratory scale. This validates the burner design strategy of preheated oxyfuel combustion adapted to LCV fuels, as well as the scale up criteria used.

La propagation d’un incendie dans un espace clos s’explique par l’inflammation de matières combustibles. Un cas important est celui de la propagation d’une flamme sur une paroi verticale. En effet si la flamme progresse dans le même sens que l’écoulement (cas co-courant), la croissance est rapide. Dans ce cas, l’émission des vapeurs combustibles (pyrolyse) et le dégagement de la chaleur apportée par la combustion sont couplés par les flux convectés et rayonnés à la paroi. Ces flammes de paroi verticale sont pilotées par les forces de flottabilité, et se caractérisent par un régime de basse vitesse et avec une forte production de suie. Bien que de nombreux travaux aient été consacrés à l’étude des flammes de paroi verticale [1-3], peu d’entre eux ont été dédiés à l’étude de l’écoulement dans la couche limite proche de la paroi et à l’étude des zones de production de suie, lesquels sont des données nécessaires pour la validation des codes de calcul. Pour cela, des mesures simultanées de vitesse par PIV et de concentration de suie par LII ont été réalisées sur un brûleur gaz en configuration paroi-verticale. Dans un premier temps, ces mesures ont permis l’analyse de la forme, de la taille et de la concentration des zones de formation de suies (poches de suie) à différentes hauteurs dans la flamme. Ensuite, les champs 2D de vitesses moyennes (horizontales et verticales) ont été étudiés, ainsi que leurs fluctuations (densités de probabilité et écart-type). Une description de la couche limite réactive, à l’aide d’une échelle caractéristique obtenue avec des mesures de vitesse plus résolues spatialement (PIV « zoomé »), a également été réalisée. Finalement, les mesures de LII et PIV couplées ont permis d’étudier l’influence du champ de vitesse sur la distribution des suies dans la flamme, ainsi que le transport et le flux turbulent de la fraction volumique de suie dans la couche limite réactive. / The fire growth and spread on a confined space depends on the inflammation and combustion of combustible materials. An important case is the fire propagation on a vertical wall configuration, in which the pyrolysis gas and the total heat flux released by the flame are coupled by convective and radiative heat flux from the flame to the wall. This kind of flame is piloted by the buoyancy forces, and is characterized by a low velocity regime and a strong generation of soot particles. Although numerous works have been devoted on the study of vertical wall flames, few have been carried out on the analysis of the flame within the reactive boundary layer and the study of the zones of production of soot particles, which is data necessary for fire simulation codes validation. In this aim, simultaneous measurements of velocity by Particle Image Velocity (PIV) and of soot volume fraction by planar laser induced incandescence (LII) have been carried out on vertical wall fire generated by a vertical porous burner fed with a CH4/C2H4 mixture. First, the characteristics of soot sheet (shape, size, thickness, and peak concentration) have been studied at different heights into the flame, as well as the average and RMS soot volume fraction fields. Then, average and RMS fields of velocity and their probability density function have been analyzed. A description of the reactive boundary layer, through the definition of a characteristic velocity scale in the near-wall zone (viscous sub-layer), has been carried out by using a « PIV Zoom » set-up. Finally, simultaneous LII/PIV measurements have been carried out in order to study the influence of the aerodynamics of the flow on the soot volume fraction distribution, as well as the transport and turbulent flux of soot into the reactive boundary layer.

Paper-fluidic devices are a popular platform for point-of-care diagnostics due to their low cost, ease of use, and equipment-free detection of target molecules. The most common example is the lateral flow assay, in which samples are added to a paper membrane and a colorimetric indicator provides a binary signal indicating whether the molecule of interest is present. A novel lateral flow assay was developed to detect a protein biomarker for early stage cervical cancer. Cervical cancer can be cured if detected and treated at an early stage, but approximately 90% of cervical cancer deaths occur in low and middle-income countries due to lack of accessible testing. Methods for detecting the biomarker, valosin-containing protein (VCP), were optimized using enzymatic and gold nanoparticle dot blots, then lateral flow assays were developed and validated using purified VCP and cervical cancer HeLa cells. Future validation with patient tissue samples will permit translation of this device to testing clinics in low-resource areas. Despite advantages for use in resource limited settings, lateral flow assays are limited by their inability to perform more complex or multi-step processes, such as nucleic acid amplification or enzymatic signal enhancement. Thermally actuated wax valves are one mechanism that provides complete control over fluid obstruction and release. To better understand how wax valves can be used in fully automated, self-contained lateral flow assays, different sizes and geometries of valves were tested to investigate their effects on actuation time, flow rate, and flow pattern. Another limitation in the understanding of lateral flow assays is the lack of experimental data describing the microscale flow within the pores of the paper membrane that drives the biophysical reactions in the assay. Mathematical models can be designed to explain macroscopic phenomena, but so far, no literature has compared microfluidic models to microfluidic data. To quantify microfluidic properties within lateral flow assays, fluorescent nanoparticles were imaged flowing through different areas of the membrane and their velocity was quantified using micro-particle image velocimetry (µPIV). Scanning electron microscope images were used to verify that this experimental model was reasonable for describing microfluidic properties of the lateral flow assay. Altogether, this document investigates how developing lateral flow assays for cervical cancer detection can save lives by improving the accessibility of an early diagnosis, and how more robust lateral flow assay characterization can expand their applicability to a broad range of detection processes.

Oscillating-foil hydrokinetic turbines have gained interest over the years to extract energy from renewable sources. The influence of the sweep angle on the performance of a fully-passive oscillating-plate hydrokinetic turbine prototype was investigated experimentally in the present work. The sweep angle was introduced to promote spanwise flow along the plate in order to manipulate the leading edge vortex (LEV) and hydrodynamically optimize the performance of the turbine. In the present work, flat plates of two configurations were considered: a plate with a 6° sweep angle and an unswept plate (control), which were undergoing fully-passive pitch and heave motions in uniform inflow at the Reynolds numbers ranging from 15 000 to 30 000. The resulting kinematic parameters and the energy extraction performance were evaluated for both plates. Planar (2D) particle image velocimetry (PIV) was used to obtain patterns of the phase-averaged out-of-plane vorticity during the oscillation cycle. The circulation in the wake was then related to the induced-forces on the plate by calculating the moments of vorticity of the LEV with respect to the pitching axis of the plate. Tomographic (3D) PIV was implemented in evaluating the influence of the spanwise flow on the dynamics of the vortex structure in three-dimensional space. The rate of deformation of the vortex length was quantified by calculating the deformation terms embedded in the vorticity equations, then linked to the stability of the vortex. The results show evidence of delay of the shedding of LEV and increased vortex stability, in the case of the swept plate. The manipulation of the LEV by the spanwise flow was related to the induced kinematics exhibited by the prolonged heave forces experienced by the swept plate, which led to the higher power extraction performance at high inflow velocities. In the presence of spanwise flow, positive vortex stretching along the vortex line increased the stabilization of the vortex core and prevented the onset of helical vortex breakdown, observed in the case of the unswept plate. The use of the sweep profile on the plate has led to the improvement of energy extraction performance of the fully-passive hydrokinetic turbine. / Graduate

Für die Untersuchung von Luft/Wasser-Strömungen wurde ein horizontaler Acrylglas-Kanal mit rechteckigem Querschnitt gebaut. Der Kanal ermöglicht Gleich- und Gegenstrom-Versuche bei Atmosphärendruck, insbesondere die Untersuchung der Schwallströmung. Es wurden optische Messungen mit einer Hochgeschwindigkeits-Kamera durchgeführt, die durch synchronisierte dynamische Druckmessungen ergänzt wurden. Für die Analyse der Bilder wurde eine Methode zur Erfassung der Phasengrenze entwickelt und diese anhand möglicher Anwendungen getestet. Die Druckmessungen zeigten, dass der Druck bei Schwallströmungen um einige Kilopascal ansteigt und wieder abfällt, sobald der Schwall aus dem Kanal austritt. Zudem wurden Geschwindigkeiten in der flüssigen Phase mittels nicht invasiver Verfahren gemessen. Das durchschnittliche Geschwindigkeits-Profil am Kanaleintritt wurde mit Ultraschall-Köpfen bestimmt. Die Ermittlung des Geschwindigkeitsfeldes in einem Schwall erfolgte mit PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry).

This thesis deals with turbulent flows in 90 degree curved pipes of circular cross-section. The flow cases investigated experimentally are turbulent flow with and without an additional motion, swirling or pulsating, superposed on the primary flow. The aim is to investigate these complex flows in detail both in terms of statistical quantities as well as vortical structures that are apparent when curvature is present. Such a flow field can contain strong secondary flow in a plane normal to the main flow direction as well as reverse flow. The motivation of the study has mainly been the presence of highly pulsating turbulent flow through complex geometries, including sharp bends, in the gas exchange system of Internal Combustion Engines (ICE). On the other hand, the industrial relevance and importance of the other type of flows were not underestimated. The geometry used was curved pipes of different curvature ratios, mounted at the exit of straight pipe sections which constituted the inflow conditions. Two experimental set ups have been used. In the first one, fully developed turbulent flow with a well defined inflow condition was fed into the pipe bend. A swirling motion could be applied in order to study the interaction between the swirl and the secondary flow induced by the bend itself. In the second set up a highly pulsating flow (up to 40 Hz) was achieved by rotating a valve located at a short distance upstream from the measurement site. In this case engine-like conditions were examined, where the turbulent flow into the bend is non-developed and the pipe bend is sharp. In addition to flow measurements, the effect of non-ideal flow conditions on the performance of a turbocharger was investigated. Three different experimental techniques were employed to study the flow field. Time-resolved stereoscopic particle image velocimetry was used in order to visualize but also quantify the secondary motions at different downstream stations from the pipe bend while combined hot-/cold-wire anemometry was used for statistical analysis. Laser Doppler velocimetry was mainly employed for validation of the aforementioned experimental methods. The three-dimensional flow field depicting varying vortical patterns has been captured under turbulent steady, swirling and pulsating flow conditions, for parameter values for which experimental evidence has been missing in literature. / QC 20120425

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) remain one of the leading causes of deaths worldwide. The formation and presence of aneurysm is a very important question in the study of this CVDs. An aneurysm is a balloon-like bulge on a blood vessel which forms over time. An aneurysm is usually considered to be a result of weakening of the blood vessel walls, this definition has stood over many years without being conclusively proven. Eventually, the aneurysm could clot or burst due to degradation of the aneurysm wall and accumulation of blood. The latter would lead to internal bleeding and result in a stroke. Local hemodynamics have been found to be very important in the study of the evolution of an aneurysm. In this study, a steady flow experimental investigation was conducted using planar Particle Image Velocimetery (PIV) on a rigid flow phantom of an idealised geometry consisting of a curve parent artery and a spherical aneurysm located on the outer convex side of the curvature. The flow phantom was fabricated directly using a commercially available desktop Stereolithography (STL) 3D printer instead of the more conventional investment casting method using a core. Although 3D printing technologies have been around for many years, the fabrication of flow phantoms by direct printing is still largely under-explored. This thesis details the results of investigation into the optimal printing and post-printing procedures required to produce a flow phantom of suitable clarity and transparency. Other important areas of concern such as the geometric accuracy, surface topography and refractive index of the final model are also investigated. A planar PIV is conducted to study the impact of flow rates on the local flow field in and around the aneurysm and their impact on the wall shear stress. It was found that direct 3D printing is appropriate for the fabrication of flow phantoms suitable for PIV or other flow visualisation techniques. It reduces the complexities and time needed compared to the conventional investment casting methods. It was observed that the optical properties of the printed material such as the high refractive index (RI) and the transmittivity of light could cause a problem in large models. From the PIV measurements it was found that flow rates affect the flow field in both the parent artery and the aneurysm. First, high velocities were observed on the outer curvature of the parent artery. Secondly the centre of rotation in the aneurysm is not at the geometric centre but is displaced slightly in the direction of the flow. Finally, the flow rate affects the angle in which flow enters the aneurysm from the parent vessel. This change in the flow angle affects the flow within the aneurysm. A higher flow rate in the parent artery increases the incident angle which brings the centre of rotation closer to the geometric centre of the aneurysm, this changes the location and magnitude of high velocities and hence the local wall shear stress (WSS) on the wall of the aneurysm. This may have implications in the evolution of aneurysms. / Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

The interaction between a bluff body and the impinging fluid flow, can involve detached boundary layers, massive flow separations, free shear layers, development of recirculation zones and formation of a highly disturbed and complex region downstream of the bluff body, which can be categorized as wake. The present research aims to experimentally investigate such fluid-structure interaction and provide insight into the wake structure of two bluff bodies. To this end, the airwake over the helicopter platform of a Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) polar icebreaker was studied using high-speed particle image velocimetry (PIV). The experiments were conducted on a scaled model of the polar icebreaker situated on a costume-built and computer-controlled turntable, which provided the ability to accurately change the incidence angle of the impinging flow with a given rate of change for incidence angle. Quantitative flow field data were obtained in several vertical and horizontal planes. The obtained velocity field was then used to calculate the time-averaged flow structure and turbulence metrics over the helicopter platform of the vessel. The present work compared the effects of two types of inflow conditions: (i) a uniform flow and (ii) a simulated atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) on the flow structure over the helicopter platform of the ship. Moreover, for the bluff scaled model, the effects of the Reynolds number on the wake structure and the flow patterns were investigated. The incidence angle (α) between the oncoming flow and the orientation of the ship varied between 0° to 330° with the increment of 30°. It was observed that higher maximum values of the turbulence intensity were associated with the simulated ABL. Moreover, it was found that for both inflow conditions, the incidence angle of 300o corresponded to the highest turbulence levels over the helicopter platform. Building on the results obtained for a stationary vessel in the simulated ABL, this work aimed to quantify the effects of the unsteady change in the direction of the impinging wind, simulated by rotating the model at a certain rate, . It was observed that the increase of the rate of change of the inflow direction resulted in an increase of the turbulent intensity over the helicopter platform. However, an exception was observed for the case of α = 60°, where clockwise rotation of the ship model with respect to the inflow exposed the helicopter platform to increased turbulent velocity fluctuations, while counterclockwise rotation diminished the flow unsteadiness over the helicopter platform. Moreover, aiming to identify the origins of the unsteady forces applied on bluff elongated plates with high chord-to thickness ratio (c/t = 23) at zero incidence, direct force measurement as well as PIV were used to identify the effect of transverse perforations on the flow-induced loading on the flow structure in the near-wake of the plates. The experiments were conducted in a water channel, where the plates were located at the center of channel, parallel to the upstream flow direction. Plates with various characteristic diameter of the perforation as well as a reference case without perforations were considered. The spectra of the trailing-edge vortex shedding and flow-induced forces were compared and it was observed that the vortex shedding frequencies were in very good agreement with those of the measured flow-induced forces for all considered perforation patterns. Thus, it was determined that the trailing-edge vortex shedding was the main mechanism of generating the unsteady loading on the plates. The staggered patterns of the perforations created a three-dimensional flow structure at the vicinity of the trailing edge and in the near wake, which was investigated using PIV at several data acquisition planes. It was found that in the cross-sectional planes corresponding to the close proximity of the perforations to the downstream edge, the periodic trailing-edge vortex shedding were suppressed. Furthermore, it was observed that for small perforations, the velocity fluctuations in the near wake were enhanced. However, further increase of the perforation diameter led to suppression of the velocity fluctuations. / Graduate