Effects of Concave Curvature on Boundary Layer Transition Under High Free-Stream Turbulence Conditions

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael P. Schultz ◽  
Ralph J. Volino
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Free Stream ◽  
Turbulent Transport ◽  
Boundary Layer Transition ◽  
Transitional Flow ◽  
Turbulent Shear ◽  
Radius Of Curvature ◽  
Layer Transition ◽  
Free Stream Turbulence ◽  
Turbulent Shear Stress

An experimental investigation has been carried out on a transitional boundary layer subject to high (initially 9%) free-stream turbulence, strong acceleration K=ν/Uw2dUw/dxas high as9×10-6, and strong concave curvature (boundary layer thickness between 2% and 5% of the wall radius of curvature). Mean and fluctuating velocity as well as turbulent shear stress are documented and compared to results from equivalent cases on a flat wall and a wall with milder concave curvature. The data show that curvature does have a significant effect, moving the transition location upstream, increasing turbulent transport, and causing skin friction to rise by as much as 40%. Conditional sampling results are presented which show that the curvature effect is present in both the turbulent and non-turbulent zones of the transitional flow.

Effects of Concave Curvature on Boundary Layer Transition Under High Freestream Turbulence Conditions

2003 ◽  
Vol 125 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael P. Schultz ◽  
Ralph J. Volino
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Turbulent Transport ◽  
Boundary Layer Transition ◽  
Transitional Flow ◽  
Turbulent Shear ◽  
Radius Of Curvature ◽  
Freestream Turbulence ◽  
Layer Transition ◽  
Transitional Boundary Layer ◽  
Turbulent Shear Stress

An experimental investigation has been carried out on a transitional boundary layer subject to high (initially 9%) freestream turbulence, strong acceleration (K=ν/Uw2dUw/dx as high as 9×10−6), and strong concave curvature (boundary layer thickness between 2% and 5% of the wall radius of curvature). Mean and fluctuating velocity as well as turbulent shear stress are documented and compared to results from equivalent cases on a flat wall and a wall with milder concave curvature. The data show that curvature does have a significant effect, moving the transition location upstream, increasing turbulent transport, and causing skin friction to rise by as much as 40%. Conditional sampling results are presented which show that the curvature effect is present in both the turbulent and nonturbulent zones of the transitional flow.

Boundary Layer Transition Under High Free-Stream Turbulence and Strong Acceleration Conditions: Part 2—Turbulent Transport Results

1997 ◽  
Vol 119 (3) ◽  
pp. 427-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Volino ◽  
T. W. Simon
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Boundary Layers ◽  
Free Stream ◽  
Turbulent Transport ◽  
Turbulent Heat Flux ◽  
Boundary Layer Transition ◽  
Turbulent Shear ◽  
Turbulent Heat ◽  
Layer Transition ◽  
Free Stream Turbulence

Measurements from heated boundary layers along a concave-curved test wall subject to high (initially 8 percent) free-stream turbulence intensity and strong (K = (ν/U∞2 dU∞/dx, as high as 9 × 10−6) acceleration are presented and discussed. Conditions for the experiments were chosen to simulate those present on the downstream half of the pressure side of a gas turbine airfoil. Turbulence statistics, including the turbulent shear stress, the turbulent heat flux, and the turbulent Prandtl number are presented. The transition zone is of extended length in spite of the high free-stream turbulence level. Turbulence quantities are strongly suppressed below values in unaccelerated turbulent boundary layers. Turbulent transport quantities rise with the intermittency, as the boundary layer proceeds through transition. Octant analysis shows a similar eddy structure in the present flow as was observed in transitional flows under low free-stream turbulence conditions. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first detailed documentation of a high-free-stream-turbulence boundary layer flow in such a strong acceleration field.

scholarly journals Boundary Layer Transition of Strongly Concave Surfaces

1989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Riley ◽  
Mark W. Johnson ◽  
John C. Gibbings
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Free Stream ◽  
Boundary Layer Transition ◽  
Radius Of Curvature ◽  
Pressure Gradients ◽  
Flat Plates ◽  
Layer Transition ◽  
Free Stream Turbulence ◽  
Surface Data ◽  
Correlation Techniques

Boundary layer transition has been studied on two blades of constant 0.5 and 1 metre radius of curvature with free stream turbulence levels of 0.7%, 2.6% and 7.2%. Zero pressure gradients were used throughout. Strong Gortler vortices developed in the boundary layer which led to growth rates of up to ten times the flat plate rate. The boundary layer profile was also highly distorted by the vortices. Transition correlation techniques for flat plates proved totally inadequate for the concave surface data, but a method of obtaining correlations for these surfaces was suggested by considering the inner critical region of the boundary layer alone.

Effects of Reynolds Number and Free-Stream Turbulence on Boundary Layer Transition in a Compressor Cascade

2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heinz-Adolf Schreiber ◽  
Wolfgang Steinert ◽  
Bernhard Küsters
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Free Stream ◽  
Reynolds Numbers ◽  
Boundary Layer Transition ◽  
Bypass Transition ◽  
Layer Transition ◽  
Free Stream Turbulence ◽  
High Reynolds Numbers ◽  
High Turbulence ◽  
High Reynolds

An experimental and analytical study has been performed on the effect of Reynolds number and free-stream turbulence on boundary layer transition location on the suction surface of a controlled diffusion airfoil (CDA). The experiments were conducted in a rectilinear cascade facility at Reynolds numbers between 0.7 and 3.0×106 and turbulence intensities from about 0.7 to 4%. An oil streak technique and liquid crystal coatings were used to visualize the boundary layer state. For small turbulence levels and all Reynolds numbers tested the accelerated front portion of the blade is laminar and transition occurs within a laminar separation bubble shortly after the maximum velocity near 35–40% of chord. For high turbulence levels (Tu > 3%) and high Reynolds numbers transition propagates upstream into the accelerated front portion of the CDA blade. For those conditions, the sensitivity to surface roughness increases considerably and at Tu = 4% bypass transition is observed near 7–10% of chord. Experimental results are compared to theoretical predictions using the transition model which is implemented in the MISES code of Youngren and Drela. Overall the results indicate that early bypass transition at high turbulence levels must alter the profile velocity distribution for compressor blades that are designed and optimized for high Reynolds numbers.

Boundary Layer Transition Under High Free-Stream Turbulence and Strong Acceleration Conditions: Part 1—Mean Flow Results

1997 ◽  
Vol 119 (3) ◽  
pp. 420-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Volino ◽  
T. W. Simon
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Skin Friction ◽  
Free Stream ◽  
Boundary Layer Transition ◽  
Temperature Profiles ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Transfer Coefficients ◽  
Mean Velocity ◽  
Layer Transition ◽  
Free Stream Turbulence

Measurements from heated boundary layers along a concave-curved test wall subject to high (initially 8 percent) free-stream turbulence intensity and strong (K = (ν/U∞2) dU∞/dx) as high as 9 × 10−6) acceleration are presented and discussed. Conditions for the experiments were chosen to roughly simulate those present on the downstream half of the pressure side of a gas turbine airfoil. Mean velocity and temperature profiles as well as skin friction and heat transfer coefficients are presented. The transition zone is of extended length in spite of the high free-stream turbulence level. Transitional values of skin friction coefficients and Stanton numbers drop below flat-plate, low-free-stream-turbulence, turbulent flow correlations, but remain well above laminar flow values. The mean velocity and temperature profiles exhibit clear changes in shape as the flow passes through transition. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first detailed documentation of a high-free-stream-turbulence boundary layer flow in such a strong acceleration field.

Effects of Weak Free Stream Nonuniformity on Boundary Layer Transition (Keynote Paper)

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan H. Watmuff
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Free Stream ◽  
Leading Edge ◽  
Boundary Layer Transition ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Layer Transition ◽  
Free Stream Turbulence ◽  
Tollmien Schlichting ◽  
Distorted Waves ◽  
Thickness Variations

Experiments are described in which well-defined FSN (Free Stream Nonuniformity) distributions are introduced by placing fine wires upstream of the leading edge of a flat plate. Large amplitude spanwise thickness variations are present in the downstream boundary layer resulting from the interaction of the laminar wakes with the leading edge. Regions of elevated background unsteadiness appear on either side of the peak layer thickness, which share many of the characteristics of Klebanoff modes, observed at elevated Free Stream Turbulence (FST) levels. However, for the low background disturbance level of the free stream, the layer remains laminar to the end of the test section (Rx ≈ l.4×106) and there is no evidence of bursting or other phenomena associated with breakdown to turbulence. A vibrating ribbon apparatus is used to demonstrate that the deformation of the mean flow is responsible for substantial phase and amplitude distortion of Tollmien-Schlichting (TS) waves. Pseudo-flow visualization of hot-wire data shows that the breakdown of the distorted waves is more complex and occurs at a lower Reynolds number than the breakdown of the K-type secondary instability observed when the FSN is not present.

A new boundary layer wind tunnel

1988 ◽  
Vol 92 (916) ◽  
pp. 224-229
Author(s):  
P. E. Roach
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Wind Tunnel ◽  
Test Section ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Free Stream ◽  
Boundary Layer Transition ◽  
Layer Transition ◽  
Free Stream Turbulence ◽  
Dimensional Boundary

Summary The procedures employed for the design of a closed-circuit, boundary layer wind tunnel are described. The tunnel was designed for the generation of relatively large-scale, two-dimensional boundary layers with Reynolds numbers, pressure gradients and free-stream turbulence levels typical of the turbomachinery environment. The results of a series of tests to evaluate the tunnel performance are also described. The flow in the test section is shown to be highly uniform and steady, with very low (natural) free-stream turbulence intensities. Measured boundary layer mean and fluctuating velocity profiles were found to be in good agreement with classical correlations. Test-section free-stream turbulence intensities are presented for grid-generated turbulence: agreement with expectation is again found to be good. Immediate applications to the tunnel include friction drag reduction and boundary layer transition studies, with future possibilities including flow separation and other complex flows typical of those found in gas turbines.

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