Particle Image Velocimetry

This work has various motivations. First of all to assess the available knowledge of the foundations of the important measurement technique that is the subject of this dissertation. Since its invention in the late 70s, Particle Image Velocimetry has become, in fact, a standard method for the measurement of velocity elds in uid motion. Bio-uid-dynamics applications and wind-tunnel tests represent the elds where this technique will hopefully be used extensively by the author in the near future. The second motivation was to analyze the limits of the Traditional PIV in the way it is available in almost all commercial implementations relevant from a metrological point of view. We are particularly concerned with the maximum resolution of this method, its limited description of the act of motion of a uid element and the incomplete number of kinematic components that are directly measurable. The third (and most important) motivation was to investigate the possibility to overcome at least partially these limits.