Approach to an asymptotic state for zero pressure gradient turbulent boundary layers

Author(s):  
Hassan M Nagib ◽  
Kapil A Chauhan ◽  
Peter A Monkewitz

Flat plate turbulent boundary layers under zero pressure gradient at high Reynolds numbers are studied to reveal appropriate scale relations and asymptotic behaviour. Careful examination of the skin-friction coefficient results confirms the necessity for direct and independent measurement of wall shear stress. We find that many of the previously proposed empirical relations accurately describe the local C f behaviour when modified and underpinned by the same experimental data. The variation of the integral parameter, H , shows consistent agreement between the experimental data and the relation from classical theory. In accordance with the classical theory, the ratio of Δ and δ asymptotes to a constant. Then, the usefulness of the ratio of appropriately defined mean and turbulent time-scales to define and diagnose equilibrium flow is established. Next, the description of mean velocity profiles is revisited, and the validity of the logarithmic law is re-established using both the mean velocity profile and its diagnostic function. The wake parameter, Π , is shown to reach an asymptotic value at the highest available experimental Reynolds numbers if correct values of logarithmic-law constants and an appropriate skin-friction estimate are used. The paper closes with a discussion of the Reynolds number trends of the outer velocity defect which are important to establish a consistent similarity theory and appropriate scaling.

Author(s):  
Katherine Newhall ◽  
Brian Brzek ◽  
Raul Bayoan Cal ◽  
Gunnar Johansson ◽  
Luciano Castillo

1983 ◽  
Vol 27 (03) ◽  
pp. 147-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Smits ◽  
N. Matheson ◽  
P. N. Joubert

This paper reports the results of an extensive experimental investigation into the mean flow properties of turbulent boundary layers with momentum-thickness Reynolds numbers less than 3000. Zero pressure gradient and favorable pressure gradients were studied. The velocity profiles displayed a logarithmic region even at very low Reynolds numbers (as low as Rθ = 261). The results were independent of the leading-edge shape, and the pin-type turbulent stimulators performed well. It was found that the shape and Clauser parameters were a little higher than the correlation proposed by Coles [10], and the skin friction coefficient was a little lower. The skin friction coefficient behavior could be fitted well by a simple power-law relationship in both zero and favorable pressure gradients.


1975 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 573-593 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. H. Schofield

The response of turbulent boundary layers to sudden changes in surface roughness under adverse-pressure-gradient conditions has been studied experimentally. The roughness used was in the ‘d’ type array of Perry, Schofield & Joubert (1969). Two cases of a rough-to-smooth change in surface roughness were considered in the same arbitrary adverse pressure gradient. The two cases differed in the distance of the surface discontinuity from the leading edge and gave two sets of flow conditions for the establishment and growth of the internal layer which develops downstream from a change in surface roughness. These conditions were in turn different from those in the zero-pressure-gradient experiments of Antonia & Luxton. The results suggest that the growth of the new internal layer depends solely on the new conditions at the wall and scales with the local roughness length of that wall. Mean velocity profiles in the region after the step change in roughness were accurately described by Coles’ law of the wall-law of the wake combination, which contrasts with the zero-pressure-gradient results of Antonia & Luxton. The skin-friction coefficient after the step change in roughness did not overshoot the equilibrium distribution but made a slow adjustment downstream of the step. Comparisons of mean profiles indicate that similar defect profile shapes are produced in layers with arbitrary adverse pressure gradients at positions where the values of Clauser's equilibrium parameter β (= δ*τ−10dp/dx) are similar, provided that the pressure-gradient history and local values of the pressure gradient are also similar.


2001 ◽  
Vol 123 (2) ◽  
pp. 394-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ram Balachandar ◽  
D. Blakely ◽  
M. Tachie ◽  
G. Putz

An experimental study was undertaken to investigate the characteristics of turbulent boundary layers developing on smooth flat plate in an open channel flow at moderately high Froude numbers (0.25<Fr<1.1) and low momentum thickness Reynolds numbers 800<Reθ<2900. The low range of Reynolds numbers and the high Froude number range make the study important, as most other studies of this type have been conducted at high Reynolds numbers and lower Froude numbers (∼0.1). Velocity measurements were carried out using a laser-Doppler anemometer equipped with a beam expansion device to enable measurements close to the wall region. The shear velocities were computed using the near-wall measurements in the viscous subregion. The variables of interest include the longitudinal mean velocity, the turbulence intensity, and the velocity skewness and flatness distributions across the boundary layer. The applicability of a constant Coles’ wake parameter (Π=0.55) to open channel flows has been discounted. The effect of the Froude number on the above parameters was also examined.


1995 ◽  
Vol 117 (3) ◽  
pp. 535-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Sucec

The inner law for transpired turbulent boundary layers is used as the velocity profile in the integral form of the x momentum equation. The resulting ordinary differential equation is solved numerically for the skin friction coefficient, as well as boundary layer thicknesses, as a function of position along the surface. Predicted skin friction coefficients are compared to experimental data and exhibit reasonably good agreement with the data for a variety of different cases. These include blowing and suction, with constant blowing fractions F for both mild and severe acceleration. Results are also presented for more complicated cases where F varies with x along the surface.


2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rau´l Bayoa´n Cal ◽  
Xia Wang ◽  
Luciano Castillo

Applying similarity analysis to the RANS equations of motion for a pressure gradient turbulent boundary layer, Castillo and George [1] obtained the scalings for the mean deficit velocity and the Reynolds stresses. Following this analysis, Castillo and George studied favorable pressure gradient (FPG) turbulent boundary layers. They were able to obtain a single curve for FPG flows when scaling the mean deficit velocity profiles. In this study, FPG turbulent boundary layers are analyzed as well as relaminarized boundary layers subjected to an even stronger FPG. It is found that the mean deficit velocity profiles diminish when scaled using the Castillo and George [1] scaling, U∞, and the Zagarola and Smits [2] scaling, U∞δ*/δ. In addition, Reynolds stress data has been analyzed and it is found that the relaminarized boundary layer data decreases drastically in all components of the Reynolds stresses. Furthermore, it will be shown that the shape of the profile for the wall-normal and Reynolds shear stress components change drastically given the relaminarized state. Therefore, the mean velocity deficit profiles as well as Reynolds stresses are found to be necessary in order to understand not only FPG flows, but also relaminarized boundary layers.


1999 ◽  
Vol 121 (3) ◽  
pp. 684-689 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ram Balachandar ◽  
Shyam S. Ramachandran

The results of an experimental investigation of turbulent boundary layers in shallow open channel flows at low Reynolds numbers are presented. The study was aimed at extending the database toward lower values of Reynolds number. The data presented are primarily concerned with the longitudinal mean velocity, turbulent-velocity fluctuations, boundary layer shape parameter and skin friction coefficient for Reynolds numbers based on the momentum thickness (Reθ) ranging from 180 to 480. In this range, the results of the present investigation in shallow open channel flows indicate a lack of dependence of the von Karman constant κ on Reynolds number. The extent to which the mean velocity data overlaps with the log-law decreases with decreasing Reθ. The variation of the strength of the wake with Reθ is different from the trend proposed earlier by Coles.


2008 ◽  
Vol 130 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xia Wang ◽  
Luciano Castillo ◽  
Guillermo Araya

Based on the theory of similarity analysis and the analogy between momentum and energy transport equations, the temperature scalings have been derived for forced convection turbulent boundary layers. These scalings are shown to be able to remove the effects of Reynolds number and the pressure gradient on the temperature profile. Furthermore, using the near-asymptotic method and the scalings from the similarity analysis, a power law solution is obtained for the temperature profile in the overlap region. Subsequently, a composite temperature profile is found by further introducing the functions in the wake region and in the near-the-wall region. The proposed composite temperature profile can describe the entire boundary layer from the wall all the way to the outer edge of the turbulent boundary layer at finite Re number. The experimental data and direct numerical simulation (DNS) data with zero pressure gradient and adverse pressure gradient are used to confirm the accuracy of the scalings and the proposed composite temperature profiles. Comparison with the theoretical profiles by Kader (1981, “Temperature and Concentration Profiles in Fully Turbulent Boundary Layers,” Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, 24, pp. 1541–1544; 1991, “Heat and Mass Transfer in Pressure-Gradient Boundary Layers,” Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, 34, pp. 2837–2857) shows that the current theory yields a higher accuracy. The error in the mean temperature profile is within 5% when the present theory is compared to the experimental data. Meanwhile, the Stanton number is calculated using the energy and momentum integral equations and the newly proposed composite temperature profile. The calculated Stanton number is consistent with previous experimental results and the DNS data, and the error of the present prediction is less than 5%. In addition, the growth of the thermal boundary layer is obtained from the theory and the average error is less than 5% for the range of Reynolds numbers between 5×105 and 5×106 when compared with the empirical correlation for the experimental data of isothermal boundary layer conditions.


2001 ◽  
Vol 428 ◽  
pp. 1-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. B. JONES ◽  
IVAN MARUSIC ◽  
A. E. PERRY

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.


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