Vidéo
Publié le 11 mars 2021 | Mis à jour le 11 mars 2021

Pendulum aerodynamic bistability

The videos shows a surprising phenomenon, where a simple pendulum facing a flow transits between two different stable positions. This bistability originates in the balance between gravity and aerodynamics forces which exhibit a strong angular dependency.


The videos shows a surprising phenomenon, where a simple pendulum facing a flow transits between two different stable positions. This bistability originates in the balance between gravity and aerodynamics forces which exhibit a strong angular dependency.
More recently, random spontaneous transitions (at fixed wind velocity) between the two stable position have been observed with a statistical signature reminiscent of extreme events phenomena.

Further details can be found in the following articles :

- Obligado, M., Puy, M., & Bourgoin, M. (2013). Bi-stability of a pendular disk in laminar and turbulent flows. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 728, 1–11. 

- Gayout, A., Bourgoin, M., Plihon, N. (2021). Rare Event-Triggered Transitions in Aerodynamic Bifurcation. Physical Review Letters, 126(10), 104501.

  • Références
    Mickaël Bourgoin, Ariane Gayout, Martin Obligado, Nicolas Plihon, Martin Puy
  • Sources
    Source : youtube/GDR_turbulence
  • Auteur(s)
    Ariane Gayout