On the dynamics of near-wall turbulence

1991 ◽  
Vol 336 (1641) ◽  
pp. 131-175 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Surface Layer ◽  
Turbulent Boundary Layer ◽  
Wall Turbulence ◽  
Wall Region ◽  
Hairpin Vortices ◽  
Basic Fluid ◽  
High Reynolds ◽  
Near Wall

A model of the dynamic physical processes that occur in the near-wall region of a turbulent flow at high Reynolds numbers is described. The hairpin vortex is postulated to be the basic flow structure of the turbulent boundary layer. It is argued that the central features of the near-wall flow can be explained in terms of how asymmetric hairpin vortices interact with the background shear flow, with each other, and with the surface layer near the wall. The physical process that leads to the regeneration of new hairpin vortices near the surface is described, as well as the processes of evolution of such vortices to larger-scale motions farther from the surface. The model is supported by recent important developments in the theory of unsteady surface-layer separation and a number of ‘kernel' experiments which serve to elucidate the basic fluid mechanics phenomena believed to be relevant to the turbulent boundary layer. Explanations for the kinematical behaviour observed in direct numerical simulations of low Reynolds number boundary-layer and channel flows are given. An important aspect of the model is that it has been formulated to be consistent with accepted rational mechanics concepts that are known to provide a proper mathematical description of high Reynolds number flow.

scholarly journals Interactions within the turbulent boundary layer at high Reynolds number

2011 ◽  
Vol 666 ◽  
pp. 573-604 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. GUALA ◽  
M. METZGER ◽  
B. J. McKEON
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Surface Layer ◽  
High Reynolds Number ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Atmospheric Surface Layer ◽  
Vertical Direction ◽  
Wall Region ◽  
High Reynolds ◽  
Near Wall

Simultaneous streamwise velocity measurements across the vertical direction obtained in the atmospheric surface layer (Reτ ≃ 5 × 105) under near thermally neutral conditions are used to outline and quantify interactions between the scales of turbulence, from the very-large-scale motions to the dissipative scales. Results from conditioned spectra, joint probability density functions and conditional averages show that the signature of very-large-scale oscillations can be found across the whole wall region and that these scales interact with the near-wall turbulence from the energy-containing eddies to the dissipative scales, most strongly in a layer close to the wall, z+ ≲ 103. The scale separation achievable in the atmospheric surface layer appears to be a key difference from the low-Reynolds-number picture, in which structures attached to the wall are known to extend through the full wall-normal extent of the boundary layer. A phenomenological picture of very-large-scale motions coexisting and interacting with structures from the hairpin paradigm is provided here for the high-Reynolds-number case. In particular, it is inferred that the hairpin-packet conceptual model may not be exhaustively representative of the whole wall region, but only of a near-wall layer of z+ = O(103), where scale interactions are mostly confined.

Experimental observation of hairpin auto-generation events in a turbulent boundary layer

2016 ◽  
Vol 795 ◽  
pp. 611-633 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Jodai ◽  
G. E. Elsinga
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Turbulent Boundary Layer ◽  
Shear Layer ◽  
Transition Process ◽  
Wall Region ◽  
Generation Model ◽  
Streamwise Vortices ◽  
Hairpin Vortices ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
Near Wall

Time-resolved tomographic particle image velocimetry experiments show that new hairpin vortices are generated within a fully developed and unperturbed turbulent boundary layer. The measurements are taken at a Reynolds number based on the momentum thickness of 2038, and cover the near-wall region below $y^{+}=140$, where $y^{+}$ is the wall-normal distance in wall units. Instantaneous visualizations of the flow reveal near-wall low-speed streaks with associated quasi-streamwise vortices, retrograde inverted arch vortices, hairpin vortices and hairpin packets. The hairpin heads are observed as close to the wall as $y^{+}=30$. Examples of hairpin packet evolution reveal the development of new hairpin vortices, which are created upstream and close to the wall in a manner consistent with the auto-generation model (Zhou et al., J. Fluid Mech., vol. 387, 1999, pp. 353–396). The development of the new hairpin appears to be initiated by an approaching sweep event, which perturbs the shear layer associated with the initial packet. The shear layer rolls up, thereby forming the new hairpin head. The head subsequently connects to existing streamwise vortices and develops into a hairpin. The time scale associated with the hairpin auto-generation is 20–30 wall units of time. This demonstrates that hairpins can be created over short distances within a developed turbulent boundary layer, implying that they are not simply remnants of the laminar-to-turbulent transition process far upstream.

scholarly journals Modelling high Reynolds number wall–turbulence interactions in laboratory experiments using large-scale free-stream turbulence

2017 ◽  
Vol 375 (2089) ◽  
pp. 20160091 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eda Dogan ◽  
R. Jason Hearst ◽  
Bharathram Ganapathisubramani
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Turbulent Boundary Layer ◽  
Boundary Layers ◽  
High Reynolds Number ◽  
Free Stream ◽  
Wall Turbulence ◽  
Scale Interactions ◽  
Free Stream Turbulence ◽  
High Reynolds

A turbulent boundary layer subjected to free-stream turbulence is investigated in order to ascertain the scale interactions that dominate the near-wall region. The results are discussed in relation to a canonical high Reynolds number turbulent boundary layer because previous studies have reported considerable similarities between these two flows. Measurements were acquired simultaneously from four hot wires mounted to a rake which was traversed through the boundary layer. Particular focus is given to two main features of both canonical high Reynolds number boundary layers and boundary layers subjected to free-stream turbulence: (i) the footprint of the large scales in the logarithmic region on the near-wall small scales, specifically the modulating interaction between these scales, and (ii) the phase difference in amplitude modulation. The potential for a turbulent boundary layer subjected to free-stream turbulence to ‘simulate’ high Reynolds number wall–turbulence interactions is discussed. The results of this study have encouraging implications for future investigations of the fundamental scale interactions that take place in high Reynolds number flows as it demonstrates that these can be achieved at typical laboratory scales. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Toward the development of high-fidelity models of wall turbulence at large Reynolds number’.

scholarly journals Phase relations in a forced turbulent boundary layer: implications for modelling of high Reynolds number wall turbulence

2017 ◽  
Vol 375 (2089) ◽  
pp. 20160080 ◽  
Author(s):  
Subrahmanyam Duvvuri ◽  
Beverley McKeon
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
Turbulent Boundary Layer ◽  
High Reynolds Number ◽  
Phase Relations ◽  
Wall Turbulence ◽  
Large Reynolds Number ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Scale Interactions ◽  
High Reynolds

Phase relations between specific scales in a turbulent boundary layer are studied here by highlighting the associated nonlinear scale interactions in the flow. This is achieved through an experimental technique that allows for targeted forcing of the flow through the use of a dynamic wall perturbation. Two distinct large-scale modes with well-defined spatial and temporal wavenumbers were simultaneously forced in the boundary layer, and the resulting nonlinear response from their direct interactions was isolated from the turbulence signal for the study. This approach advances the traditional studies of large- and small-scale interactions in wall turbulence by focusing on the direct interactions between scales with triadic wavenumber consistency. The results are discussed in the context of modelling high Reynolds number wall turbulence. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Toward the development of high-fidelity models of wall turbulence at large Reynolds number’.

scholarly journals Wall-attached structures of velocity fluctuations in a turbulent boundary layer

2018 ◽  
Vol 856 ◽  
pp. 958-983 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinyul Hwang ◽  
Hyung Jin Sung
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Reynolds Number ◽  
High Reynolds Number ◽  
Wall Turbulence ◽  
Velocity Fluctuations ◽  
Moderate Reynolds Number ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Logarithmic Region ◽  
High Reynolds ◽  
Attached Eddies

Wall turbulence is a ubiquitous phenomenon in nature and engineering applications, yet predicting such turbulence is difficult due to its complexity. High-Reynolds-number turbulence arises in most practical flows, and is particularly complicated because of its wide range of scales. Although the attached-eddy hypothesis postulated by Townsend can be used to predict turbulence intensities and serves as a unified theory for the asymptotic behaviours of turbulence, the presence of coherent structures that contribute to the logarithmic behaviours has not been observed in instantaneous flow fields. Here, we demonstrate the logarithmic region of the turbulence intensity by identifying wall-attached structures of the velocity fluctuations ($u_{i}$) through the direct numerical simulation of a moderate-Reynolds-number boundary layer ($Re_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D70F}}\approx 1000$). The wall-attached structures are self-similar with respect to their heights ($l_{y}$), and in particular the population density of the streamwise component ($u$) scales inversely with $l_{y}$, reminiscent of the hierarchy of attached eddies. The turbulence intensities contained within the wall-parallel components ($u$ and $w$) exhibit the logarithmic behaviour. The tall attached structures ($l_{y}^{+}>100$) of $u$ are composed of multiple uniform momentum zones (UMZs) with long streamwise extents, whereas those of the cross-stream components ($v$ and $w$) are relatively short with a comparable width, suggesting the presence of tall vortical structures associated with multiple UMZs. The magnitude of the near-wall peak observed in the streamwise turbulent intensity increases with increasing $l_{y}$, reflecting the nested hierarchies of the attached $u$ structures. These findings suggest that the identified structures are prime candidates for Townsend’s attached-eddy hypothesis and that they can serve as cornerstones for understanding the multiscale phenomena of high-Reynolds-number boundary layers.

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