OpenPIV-MATLAB — An open-source software for particle image velocimetry; test case: Birds’ aerodynamics

• Main Authors: Hadar Ben-Gida, Roi Gurka, Alex Liberzon
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2020-07-01
• Series: SoftwareX
• Subjects: Particle Image Velocimetry; MATLAB; Fluid mechanics; Wake analysis
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352711020302983

We present an open-source MATLAB package, entitled OpenPIV-MATLAB, for analyzing particle image velocimetry (PIV) data. We extend the PIV analysis with additional tools for post-processing the PIV results including the estimation of aero/hydrodynamic forces from the PIV data of a wake behind an immersed (bluff or streamlined) body. The paper presents a detailed description of the packages, covering the three main parts: generating two-dimensional two component velocity fields from pairs of images (OpenPIV-MATLAB), spatial and temporal flow analysis based on the velocity fields (Spatial and Temporal Analysis Toolbox), and wake flow analysis along with the force estimates (getWAKE Toolbox). A complete analysis with a variety of post-processing capabilities is demonstrated using time-resolved PIV wake data of a freely flying European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) in a wind tunnel.