scholarly journals Large-eddy simulation of separation and reattachment of a flat plate turbulent boundary layer

2015 ◽  
Vol 785 ◽  
pp. 78-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Cheng ◽  
D. I. Pullin ◽  
R. Samtaney

We present large-eddy simulations (LES) of separation and reattachment of a flat-plate turbulent boundary-layer flow. Instead of resolving the near wall region, we develop a two-dimensional virtual wall model which can calculate the time- and space-dependent skin-friction vector field at the wall, at the resolved scale. By combining the virtual-wall model with the stretched-vortex subgrid-scale (SGS) model, we construct a self-consistent framework for the LES of separating and reattaching turbulent wall-bounded flows at large Reynolds numbers. The present LES methodology is applied to two different experimental flows designed to produce separation/reattachment of a flat-plate turbulent boundary layer at medium Reynolds number $Re_{{\it\theta}}$ based on the momentum boundary-layer thickness ${\it\theta}$. Comparison with data from the first case at $Re_{{\it\theta}}=2000$ demonstrates the present capability for accurate calculation of the variation, with the streamwise co-ordinate up to separation, of the skin friction coefficient, $Re_{{\it\theta}}$, the boundary-layer shape factor and a non-dimensional pressure-gradient parameter. Additionally the main large-scale features of the separation bubble, including the mean streamwise velocity profiles, show good agreement with experiment. At the larger $Re_{{\it\theta}}=11\,000$ of the second case, the LES provides good postdiction of the measured skin-friction variation along the whole streamwise extent of the experiment, consisting of a very strong adverse pressure gradient leading to separation within the separation bubble itself, and in the recovering or reattachment region of strongly-favourable pressure gradient. Overall, the present two-dimensional wall model used in LES appears to be capable of capturing the quantitative features of a separation-reattachment turbulent boundary-layer flow at low to moderately large Reynolds numbers.

1951 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 211-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.D. Young ◽  
T.B. Booth

SummaryA method is developed for calculating the profile drag of a yawed wing of infinite span, based on the assumption that the form of the spanwise distribution of velocity in the boundary layer, whether laminar or turbulent, is insensitive to the chordwise pressure distribution. The form is assumed to be the same as that accepted for the boundary layer on an unyawed plate with zero external pressure gradient. Experimental evidence indicates that these assumptions are reasonable in this context. The method is applied to a flat plate and the N.A.C.A. 64-012 section at zero incidence for a range of Reynolds numbers between 106 and 108, angles of yaw up to 45°, and a range of transition point positions. It is shown that the drag coefficients of a flat plate varies with yaw as cos½ Λ (where Λ is the angle of yaw) if the boundary layer is completely laminar, and it varies as if the boundary layer is completely turbulent. The drag coefficient of the N.A.C.A. 64-012 section, however, varies closely as cos½ Λ for transition point positions between 0 and 0.5 c. Further calculations on wing sections of other shapes and thicknesses and more detailed experimental checks of the basic assumptions at higher Reynolds numbers are desirable.


1977 ◽  
Vol 82 (3) ◽  
pp. 507-528 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugh W. Coleman ◽  
Robert J. Moffat ◽  
William M. Kays

The behaviour of a fully rough turbulent boundary layer subjected to favourable pressure gradients both with and without blowing was investigated experimentally using a porous test surface composed of densely packed spheres of uniform size. Measurements of profiles of mean velocity and the components of the Reynolds-stress tensor are reported for both unblown and blown layers. Skin-friction coefficients were determined from measurements of the Reynolds shear stress and mean velocity.An appropriate acceleration parameterKrfor fully rough layers is defined which is dependent on a characteristic roughness dimension but independent of molecular viscosity. For a constant blowing fractionFgreater than or equal to zero, the fully rough turbulent boundary layer reaches an equilibrium state whenKris held constant. Profiles of the mean velocity and the components of the Reynolds-stress tensor are then similar in the flow direction and the skin-friction coefficient, momentum thickness, boundary-layer shape factor and the Clauser shape factor and pressure-gradient parameter all become constant.Acceleration of a fully rough layer decreases the normalized turbulent kinetic energy and makes the turbulence field much less isotropic in the inner region (forFequal to zero) compared with zero-pressure-gradient fully rough layers. The values of the Reynolds-shear-stress correlation coefficients, however, are unaffected by acceleration or blowing and are identical with values previously reported for smooth-wall and zero-pressure-gradient rough-wall flows. Increasing values of the roughness Reynolds number with acceleration indicate that the fully rough layer does not tend towards the transitionally rough or smooth-wall state when accelerated.


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