| Zero-net mass-flux (ZNMF) devices consist of an oscillating driver, a cavity, and a small opening such as a rectangular slot or a circular orifice. The driver produces a series of vortex pairs (or rings) at the slot/orifice which add momentum and circulation to the flow. ZNMF devices are useful tools for flow control applications such as heat transfer, mixing enhancement, and boundary layer separation control.; To date much research has been done to qualify and quantify the effects of ZNMF devices in many applications, both experimental and computational. However, a number of issues still remain. First, there is no universally accepted dimensionless parameter space, which makes device characterization and comparison between studies difficult. Second, most experimental studies do not sufficiently quantify the nearfield behavior, which hinders the fundamental understanding of the underlying flow physics. Of particular interest are the regimes of jet formation, and transition from laminar to turbulent-like flow, which are not well understood. Finally, the accuracy of experimental measurements are seldom reported in the literature.; This study unifies the experimental and numerical data presented in the literature for ZNMF flowfields exhausting into a quiescent medium. A quantitative experimental database is also generated to completely characterize the topological regions of ZNMF flows over a useful range of the dimensionless parameter space. The database is derived chiefly from two-dimensional velocity field measurements using particle image velocimetry and laser Doppler anemometry. Vorticity, circulation, Reynolds stress, and turbulent kinetic energy is acquired to characterize the resulting flowfield.; Significant insight into the behavior of voice coil driven ZNMF devices is uncovered. Design improvements are made by implementing a sinusoidal controller for piston motion and eliminating the need for a sealing membrane in the cavity. It is shown that the proper velocity scale to characterize a ZNMF device is either a momentum flow velocity or a velocity scale based on circulation. In addition, the proper scaling of a ZNMF device is application-specific. The two chief parameters which govern ZNMF flows---the Reynolds number and the Strouhal number---are shown to affect the flowfield in different ways. |
