Reynolds-number scaling of the flat-plate turbulent boundary layer

2000 ◽  
Vol 422 ◽  
pp. 319-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
DAVID B. DE GRAAFF ◽  
JOHN K. EATON
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Turbulent Boundary Layer ◽  
Flat Plate ◽  
Extensive Study ◽  
Reynolds Stresses ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Mean Velocity ◽  
Law Of The Wall ◽  
The Mean

Despite extensive study, there remain significant questions about the Reynolds-number scaling of the zero-pressure-gradient flat-plate turbulent boundary layer. While the mean flow is generally accepted to follow the law of the wall, there is little consensus about the scaling of the Reynolds normal stresses, except that there are Reynolds-number effects even very close to the wall. Using a low-speed, high-Reynolds-number facility and a high-resolution laser-Doppler anemometer, we have measured Reynolds stresses for a flat-plate turbulent boundary layer from Reθ = 1430 to 31 000. Profiles of u′2, v′2, and u′v′ show reasonably good collapse with Reynolds number: u′2 in a new scaling, and v′2 and u′v′ in classic inner scaling. The log law provides a reasonably accurate universal profile for the mean velocity in the inner region.

Experimental Investigation of the Effect of Upstream Conditions on Smooth and Rough Zero Pressure Gradient Turbulent Boundary Layer Flows at Very High Reynolds Numbers

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luciano Castillo ◽  
Junghwa Seo ◽  
T. Gunnar Johansson ◽  
Horia Hangan
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Wind Tunnel ◽  
Turbulent Boundary Layer ◽  
Pressure Gradient ◽  
Reynolds Stresses ◽  
Mean Velocity ◽  
The Mean ◽  
High Reynolds ◽  
Very High

A 2D turbulent boundary layer experiment in a zero pressure gradient (ZPG) has been carried out using two cross hot-wire probes. The mean velocity and all non-zero Reynolds stresses were measured in a number of positions, 14–28 m from the inlet of the wind tunnel over a rough and a smooth surface. Wind tunnel speeds of 10 m/s and 20 m/s were set up in order to test the effect of the upstream conditions on the downstream flow. The long test section allowed us to investigate the mean velocity and Reynolds stresses dependence on the local Reynolds number and the initial conditions at very high Reynolds number (i.e. Rθ ∼ 120,000). Furthermore, it will be shown that the mean velocity deficit profiles and some of the Reynolds stresses collapse when the upstream conditions are kept fixed for smooth and rough surface.

Effect of Surface Wave on Development of Turbulent Boundary Layer Over a Train of Rib Roughness

2019 ◽  
Vol 141 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Santosh Kumar Singh ◽  
Pankaj Kumar Raushan ◽  
Koustuv Debnath ◽  
B. S. Mazumder
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Surface Wave ◽  
Turbulent Boundary Layer ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Mean Velocity ◽  
Measured Velocity ◽  
Law Of The Wall ◽  
Wave Channel ◽  
Surface Data ◽  
Large Roughness

In this paper, detailed experimental results are reported to study the effect of the surface wave of different frequencies on unidirectional current over the bed-mounted train of rib roughness. The model roughness used in this study is transverse square ribs that lengthened across the entire width of the recirculating wave channel. The center-to-center rib pitch (P) was constant during the experiments, thus generating a broad range of near-bed flow patterns for each of the three different surface wave frequencies studied here. The relative submergence associated with the roughness height (k) was 8, which fall in the category of large roughness. Velocity measurements were conducted using acoustic Doppler velocimeter (ADV), and a surface wave of different frequencies was generated using the plunger-type wavemaker. The measured velocity data were analyzed to determine the relative importance of mean flow over the train of rib roughness. Mean velocity profiles illustrate the well-known downward shift from the flat surface data of the semi-logarithmic portion of the law of the wall. The width of the turbulent boundary layer increases with the superposition of surface wave compared to that of the current-only flow. The results also show that the mean reattachment length decreases due to the superposition of surface wave on unidirectional current.

Generation mechanism of a hierarchy of vortices in a turbulent boundary layer

2019 ◽  
Vol 865 ◽  
pp. 1085-1109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yutaro Motoori ◽  
Susumu Goto
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Energy Spectrum ◽  
Turbulent Boundary Layer ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Generation Mechanism ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Generation Process ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
The Mean

To understand the generation mechanism of a hierarchy of multiscale vortices in a high-Reynolds-number turbulent boundary layer, we conduct direct numerical simulations and educe the hierarchy of vortices by applying a coarse-graining method to the simulated turbulent velocity field. When the Reynolds number is high enough for the premultiplied energy spectrum of the streamwise velocity component to show the second peak and for the energy spectrum to obey the$-5/3$power law, small-scale vortices, that is, vortices sufficiently smaller than the height from the wall, in the log layer are generated predominantly by the stretching in strain-rate fields at larger scales rather than by the mean-flow stretching. In such a case, the twice-larger scale contributes most to the stretching of smaller-scale vortices. This generation mechanism of small-scale vortices is similar to the one observed in fully developed turbulence in a periodic cube and consistent with the picture of the energy cascade. On the other hand, large-scale vortices, that is, vortices as large as the height, are stretched and amplified directly by the mean flow. We show quantitative evidence of these scale-dependent generation mechanisms of vortices on the basis of numerical analyses of the scale-dependent enstrophy production rate. We also demonstrate concrete examples of the generation process of the hierarchy of multiscale vortices.

A three-dimensional turbulent boundary layer

1965 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 285-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. E. Perry ◽  
P. N. Joubert
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Turbulent Boundary Layer ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Outer Part ◽  
Outer Region ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Mean Velocity ◽  
Polar Plot ◽  
Law Of The Wall ◽  
The Mean

The purpose of this paper is to provide some possible explantions for certain observed phenomena associated with the mean-velocity profile of a turbulent boundary layer which undergoes a rapid yawing. For the cases considered the yawing is caused by an obstruction attached to the wall upon which the boundary layer is developing. Only incompressible flow is considered.§1 of the paper is concerned with the outer region of the boundary layer and deals with a phenomenon observed by Johnston (1960) who described it with his triangular model for the polar plot of the velocity distribution. This was also observed by Hornung & Joubert (1963). It is shown here by a first-approximation analysis that such a behaviour is mainly a consequence of the geometry of the apparatus used. The analysis also indicates that, for these geometries, the outer part of the boundary-layer profile can be described by a single vector-similarity defect law rather than the vector ‘wall-wake’ model proposed by Coles (1956). The former model agrees well with the experimental results of Hornung & Joubert.In §2, the flow close to the wall is considered. Treating this region as an equilibrium layer and using similarity arguments, a three-dimensional version of the ‘law of the wall’ is derived. This relates the mean-velocity-vector distribution with the pressure-gradient vector and wall-shear-stress vector and explains how the profile skews near the wall. The theory is compared with Hornung & Joubert's experimental results. However at this stage the results are inconclusive because of the lack of a sufficient number of measured quantities.

A model for inhomogeneous turbulent flow

1970 ◽  
Vol 317 (1530) ◽  
pp. 417-433 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Eddy Viscosity ◽  
The Self ◽  
Diffusion Equations ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Mean Velocity ◽  
Closed Set ◽  
Law Of The Wall ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Model Equations

A set of model equations is given to describe the gross features of a statistically steady or 'slowly varying’ inhomogeneous field of turbulence and the mean velocity distribution. The equations are based on the idea that turbulence can be characterized by ‘densities’ which obey nonlinear diffusion equations. The diffusion equations contain terms to describe the convection by the mean flow, the amplification due to interaction with a mean velocity gradient, the dissipation due to the interaction of the turbulence with itself, and the dif­fusion also due to the self interaction. The equations are similar to a set proposed by Kolmo­gorov (1942). It is assumed that both an ‘energy density’ and a ‘vorticity density’ satisfy diffusion equations, and that the self diffusion is described by an eddy viscosity which is a function of the energy and vorticity densities; the eddy viscosity is also assumed to describe the diffu­sion of mean momentum by the turbulent fluctuations. It is shown that with simple and plausible assumptions about the nature of the interaction terms, the equations form a closed set. The appropriate boundary conditions at a solid wall and a turbulent interface, with and without entrainment, are discussed. It is shown that the dimensionless constants which appear in the equations can all be estimated by general arguments. The equations are then found to predict the von Kármán constant in the law of the wall with reasonable accuracy. An analytical solution is given for Couette flow, and the result of a numerical study of plane Poiseuille flow is described. The equations are also applied to free turbulent flows. It is shown that the model equations completely determine the structure of the similarity solutions, with the rate of spread, for instance, determined by the solution of a nonlinear eigenvalue problem. Numerical solutions have been obtained for the two-dimensional wake and jet. The agreement with experiment is good. The solutions have a sharp interface between turbulent and non-turbulent regions and the mean velocity in the turbulent part varies linearly with distance from the interface. The equations are applied qualitatively to the accelerating boundary layer in flow towards a line sink, and the decelerating boundary layer with zero skin friction. In the latter case, the equations predict that the mean velocity should vary near the wall like the 5/3 power of the distance. It is shown that viscosity can be incorporated formally into the model equations and that a structure can be given to the interface between turbulent and non-turbulent parts of the flow.

scholarly journals The law of the wake in the turbulent boundary layer

1956 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald Coles
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Turbulent Boundary Layer ◽  
Velocity Profile ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Shearing Stress ◽  
Universal Functions ◽  
Mean Velocity ◽  
Law Of The Wall ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Law

After an extensive survey of mean-velocity profile measurements in various two-dimensional incompressible turbulent boundary-layer flows, it is proposed to represent the profile by a linear combination of two universal functions. One is the well-known law of the wall. The other, called the law of the wake, is characterized by the profile at a point of separation or reattachment. These functions are considered to be established empirically, by a study of the mean-velocity profile, without reference to any hypothetical mechanism of turbulence. Using the resulting complete analytic representation for the mean-velocity field, the shearing-stress field for several flows is computed from the boundary-layer equations and compared with experimental data.The development of a turbulent boundary layer is ultimately interpreted in terms of an equivalent wake profile, which supposedly represents the large-eddy structure and is a consequence of the constraint provided by inertia. This equivalent wake profile is modified by the presence of a wall, at which a further constraint is provided by viscosity. The wall constraint, although it penetrates the entire boundary layer, is manifested chiefly in the sublayer flow and in the logarithmic profile near the wall.Finally, it is suggested that yawed or three-dimensional flows may be usefully represented by the same two universal functions, considered as vector rather than scalar quantities. If the wall component is defined to be in the direction of the surface shearing stress, then the wake component, at least in the few cases studied, is found to be very nearly parallel to the gradient of the pressure.

Can a turbulent boundary layer become independent of the Reynolds number?

2018 ◽  
Vol 851 ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Djenidi ◽  
K. M. Talluru ◽  
R. A. Antonia
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Turbulent Boundary Layer ◽  
Rough Wall ◽  
Asymptotic State ◽  
Stream Velocity ◽  
Mean Velocity ◽  
Independent State ◽  
Velocity Defect ◽  
The Mean

This paper examines the Reynolds number ($Re$) dependence of a zero-pressure-gradient (ZPG) turbulent boundary layer (TBL) which develops over a two-dimensional rough wall with a view to ascertaining whether this type of boundary layer can become independent of $Re$. Measurements are made using hot-wire anemometry over a rough wall that consists of a periodic arrangement of cylindrical rods with a streamwise spacing of eight times the rod diameter. The present results, together with those obtained over a sand-grain roughness at high Reynolds number, indicate that a $Re$-independent state can be achieved at a moderate $Re$. However, it is also found that the mean velocity distributions over different roughness geometries do not collapse when normalised by appropriate velocity and length scales. This lack of collapse is attributed to the difference in the drag coefficient between these geometries. We also show that the collapse of the $U_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}}$-normalised mean velocity defect profiles may not necessarily reflect $Re$-independence. A better indicator of the asymptotic state of $Re$ is the mean velocity defect profile normalised by the free-stream velocity and plotted as a function of $y/\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}$, where $y$ is the vertical distance from the wall and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}$ is the boundary layer thickness. This is well supported by the measurements.

On turbulent boundary layers in oscillatory flow

1977 ◽  
Vol 353 (1672) ◽  
pp. 121-144 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Turbulent Boundary Layer ◽  
Boundary Layers ◽  
Travelling Wave ◽  
Convection Velocity ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Mean Velocity ◽  
Flow Measurements ◽  
Freestream Velocity ◽  
The Mean

An experimental investigation has been made of turbulent boundary layer response to harmonic oscillations associated with a travelling wave imposed on an otherwise constant freestream velocity and convected in the freestream direction. The tests covered oscillation frequencies of 4-12 Hz for freestream amplitudes of up to 11% of the mean velocity. Additional steady flow measurements were used to infer the quasi-steady response to freestream oscillations. The results show a welcome insensitivity of the mean flow and turbulent intensity distributions to the freestream oscillations tested. An approximate analysis based on these results has been developed. It is probably of limited validity but it does provide a useful guide to the physical processes involved. The effects on boundary layer response of varying the travelling wave convection velocity and frequency of oscillation are illustrated by the analysis and show a behaviour broadly similar to that of laminar boundary layers. The travelling wave convection velocity exhibits a dominant influence on the turbulent boundary layer response to freestream oscillations.

scholarly journals Evolution and structure of sink-flow turbulent boundary layers

2001 ◽  
Vol 428 ◽  
pp. 1-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. B. JONES ◽  
IVAN MARUSIC ◽  
A. E. PERRY
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layers ◽  
Velocity Profiles ◽  
Turbulent Boundary Layers ◽  
Reynolds Stresses ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Mean Velocity ◽  
Flow Measurements ◽  
Law Of The Wall ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Logarithmic Law

An experimental and theoretical investigation of turbulent boundary layers developing in a sink-flow pressure gradient was undertaken. Three flow cases were studied, corresponding to different acceleration strengths. Mean-flow measurements were taken for all three cases, while Reynolds stresses and spectra measurements were made for two of the flow cases. In this study attention was focused on the evolution of the layers to an equilibrium turbulent state. All the layers were found to attain a state very close to precise equilibrium. This gave equilibrium sink flow data at higher Reynolds numbers than in previous experiments. The mean velocity profiles were found to collapse onto the conventional logarithmic law of the wall. However, for profiles measured with the Pitot tube, a slight ‘kick-up’ from the logarithmic law was observed near the buffer region, whereas the mean velocity profiles measured with a normal hot wire did not exhibit this deviation from the logarithmic law. As the layers approached equilibrium, the mean velocity profiles were found to approach the pure wall profile and for the highest level of acceleration Π was very close to zero, where Π is the Coles wake factor. This supports the proposition of Coles (1957), that the equilibrium sink flow corresponds to pure wall flow. Particular interest was also given to the evolutionary stages of the boundary layers, in order to test and further develop the closure hypothesis of Perry, Marusic & Li (1994). Improved quantitative agreement with the experimental results was found after slight modification of their original closure equation.

Measurement of the Reynolds stresses and the mean-flow field in a three-dimensional pressure-driven boundary layer

1982 ◽  
Vol 119 ◽  
pp. 121-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Udo R. Müller
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Shear Stress ◽  
Flow Field ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Turbulent Shear ◽  
Reynolds Stresses ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Mean Velocity ◽  
Flow Acceleration ◽  
The Mean

An experimental study of a steady, incompressible, three-dimensional turbulent boundary layer approaching separation is reported. The flow field external to the boundary layer was deflected laterally by turning vanes so that streamwise flow deceleration occurred simultaneous with cross-flow acceleration. At 21 stations profiles of the mean-velocity components and of the six Reynolds stresses were measured with single- and X-hot-wire probes, which were rotatable around their longitudinal axes. The calibration of the hot wires with respect to magnitude and direction of the velocity vector as well as the method of evaluating the Reynolds stresses from the measured data are described in a separate paper (Müller 1982, hereinafter referred to as II). At each measuring station the wall shear stress was inferred from a Preston-tube measurement as well as from a Clauser chart. With the measured profiles of the mean velocities and of the Reynolds stresses several assumptions used for turbulence modelling were checked for their validity in this flow. For example, eddy viscosities for both tangential directions and the corresponding mixing lengths as well as the ratio of resultant turbulent shear stress to turbulent kinetic energy were derived from the data.

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