Using a stereoscopic vision method, we have experimentally investigated the time evolution of a free thin disk motion with six degrees of freedom for the first time. It is found that, as the dimensionless moment of inertia decreases, the trajectory of the disk transits from planar to nonplanar. New types of free falling motions were identified for small values, including the spiral state and the transitional state. An extended phase diagram corresponding to different flow regimes was given. The underlying physics associated with the transition is found to be connected to the interactions between the moving object and induced vortices.
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2011
American Institute of Physics
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