Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-x5gtn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-01T00:47:20.762Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The meandering behaviour of large-scale structures in turbulent boundary layers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 February 2019

Kevin Kevin Open the ORCID record for Kevin Kevin [Opens in a new window] ,
Jason Monty  and
Nicholas Hutchins
Kevin Kevin*
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
Jason Monty
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
Nicholas Hutchins
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
*
†Email address for correspondence: kevin.kevin@unimelb.edu.au
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This paper quantifies the instantaneous form of large-scale turbulent structures in canonical smooth-wall boundary layers, demonstrating that they adhere to a form that is consistent with the self-sustaining streak instability model suggested by Flores & Jiménez (Phys. Fluids, vol. 22, 2010, 071704) and Hwang & Cossu (Phys. Fluids, vol. 23, 2011, 061702). Our motivation for this study stems from previous observations of large-scale streaks that have been spatially locked in position within spanwise-heterogeneous boundary layers. Here, using similar tools, we demonstrate that the randomly occurring large-scale structures in canonical layers show similar behaviour. Statistically, we show that the signature of large-scale coherent structures exhibits increasing meandering behaviour with distance from the wall. At the upper edge of the boundary layer, where these structures are severely misaligned from the main-flow direction, the induced velocities associated with the strongly yawed vortex packets/clusters yield a significant spanwise-velocity component leading to an apparent oblique coherence of spanwise-velocity fluctuations. This pronounced meandering behaviour also gives rise to a dominant streamwise periodicity at a wavelength of approximately $6\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}$. We further statistically show that the quasi-streamwise roll-modes formed adjacent to these very large wavy motions are often one-sided (spanwise asymmetric), in stark contrast to the counter-rotating form suggested by conventional conditionally averaged representations. To summarise, we sketch a representative picture of the typical large-scale structures based on the evidence gathered in this study.

JFM classification

Boundary Layers: Boundary layer structure Turbulent Flows: Turbulent boundary layers
Type
JFM Rapids
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 865 , 25 April 2019 , R1
Copyright
© 2019 Cambridge University Press 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adrian, R. J., Christensen, K. T. & Liu, Z. C. 2000a Analysis and interpretation of instantaneous turbulent velocity fields. Exp. Fluids 29 (3), 275–290.10.1007/s003489900087Google Scholar
Adrian, R. J., Meinhart, C. D. & Tomkins, C. D. 2000b Vortex organization in the outer region of the turbulent boundary layer. J. Fluid Mech. 422, 1–54.10.1017/S0022112000001580Google Scholar
del Álamo, J. C., Jiménez, J., Zandonade, P. & Moser, R. D. 2006 Self-similar vortex clusters in the turbulent logarithmic region. J. Fluid Mech. 561, 329–358.10.1017/S0022112006000814Google Scholar
Bai, H. L., Kevin, K., Hutchins, N. & Monty, J. P. 2018 Turbulence modifications in a turbulent boundary layer over a rough wall with spanwise-alternating roughness strips. Phys. Fluids 30 (5), 055105.10.1063/1.5026134Google Scholar
Baidya, R., de Silva, C. M., Huang, Y., Castillo, L., Marusic, I. & Hutchins, N. 2016 Developing turbulent boundary layer using spanwise-periodic trips. In 20th Australasian Fluid Mechanics Conference, Perth, Australia.Google Scholar
Dennis, D. J. C. & Nickels, T. B. 2011 Experimental measurement of large-scale three-dimensional structures in a turbulent boundary layer. Part 1. Vortex packets. J. Fluid Mech. 673, 180–217.10.1017/S0022112010006324Google Scholar
Elsinga, G. E., Adrian, R. J., Van Oudheusden, B. W. & Scarano, F. 2010 Three-dimensional vortex organization in a high-Reynolds-number supersonic turbulent boundary layer. J. Fluid Mech. 644, 35–60.10.1017/S0022112009992047Google Scholar
Flores, O. & Jiménez, J. 2010 Hierarchy of minimal flow units in the logarithmic layer. Phys. Fluids 22 (7), 071704.10.1063/1.3464157Google Scholar
Ganapathisubramani, B., Hutchins, N., Hambleton, W. T., Longmire, E. K. & Marusic, I. 2005 Investigation of large-scale coherence in a turbulent boundary layer using two-point correlations. J. Fluid Mech. 524, 57–80.10.1017/S0022112004002277Google Scholar
Hutchins, N., Chauhan, K., Marusic, I., Monty, J. & Klewicki, J. 2012 Towards reconciling the large-scale structure of turbulent boundary layers in the atmosphere and laboratory. Boundary-Layer Meteorol. 145 (2), 273–306.10.1007/s10546-012-9735-4Google Scholar
Hutchins, N., Hambleton, W. T. & Marusic, I. 2005 Inclined cross-stream stereo particle image velocimetry measurements in turbulent boundary layers. J. Fluid Mech. 541, 21–54.10.1017/S0022112005005872Google Scholar
Hutchins, N. & Marusic, I. 2007 Evidence of very long meandering features in the logarithmic region of turbulent boundary layers. J. Fluid Mech. 579, 1–28.10.1017/S0022112006003946Google Scholar
Hutchins, N., Monty, J. P., Ganapathisubramani, B., Ng, H. C. H. & Marusic, I. 2011 Three-dimensional conditional structure of a high-Reynolds-number turbulent boundary layer. J. Fluid Mech. 673, 255–285.10.1017/S0022112010006245Google Scholar
Hwang, Y. & Cossu, C. 2010 Self-sustained processed at large scales in turbulent channel flow. Phys. Rev. Lett. 105 (4), 044505.10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.044505Google Scholar
Hwang, Y. & Cossu, C. 2011 Self-sustained processes in the logarithmic layer of turbulent channel flows. Phys. Fluids 23 (6), 061702.10.1063/1.3599157Google Scholar
Jeong, J., Hussain, F., Schoppa, W. & Kim, J. 1997 Coherent structures near the wall in a turbulent channel flow. J. Fluid Mech. 332, 185–214.10.1017/S0022112096003965Google Scholar
Jiménez, J. 2018 Coherent structures in wall-bounded turbulence. J. Fluid Mech. 842, P1.10.1017/jfm.2018.144Google Scholar
Jiménez, J. & Simens, M. P. 2001 Low-dimensional dynamics of a turbulent wall flow. J. Fluid Mech. 435, 81–91.10.1017/S0022112001004050Google Scholar
Johansson, A. V., Alfredsson, P. H. & Kim, J. 1991 Evolution and dynamics of shear-layer structures in near-wall turbulence. J. Fluid Mech. 224, 579–599.10.1017/S002211209100188XGoogle Scholar
Kevin, Monty, J. P., Bai, H. L., Pathikonda, G., Nugroho, B., Barros, J. M., Christensen, K. T. & Hutchins, N. 2017 Cross-stream stereoscopic particle image velocimetry of a modified turbulent boundary layer over directional surface pattern. J. Fluid Mech. 813, 412–435.10.1017/jfm.2016.879Google Scholar
Kevin, Monty, J. P. & Hutchins, N. 2019 Turbulent structures in a statistically three-dimensional boundary layer. J. Fluid Mech. 859, 543–565.10.1017/jfm.2018.814Google Scholar
Lee, J., Lee, J. H., Choi, J. I. & Sung, H. J. 2014 Spatial organization of large- and very-large-scale motions in a turbulent channel flow. J. Fluid Mech. 749, 818–840.10.1017/jfm.2014.249Google Scholar
Lee, J. H. & Sung, H. J. 2011 Very-large-scale motions in a turbulent boundary layer. J. Fluid Mech. 673, 80–120.10.1017/S002211201000621XGoogle Scholar
Lozano-Durán, A. & Jiménez, J. 2012 The three-dimensional structure of momentum transfer in turbulent channels. J. Fluid Mech. 694, 100–130.10.1017/jfm.2011.524Google Scholar
Marusic, I. & Monty, J. P. 2019 Attached eddy model of wall turbulence. Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech. 51, 49–74.10.1146/annurev-fluid-010518-040427Google Scholar
Monty, J. P., Stewart, J. A., Williams, R. C. & Chong, M. S. 2007 Large-scale features in turbulent pipe and channel flows. J. Fluid Mech. 589, 147–156.10.1017/S002211200700777XGoogle Scholar
Schoppa, W. & Hussain, F. 2002 Coherent structure generation in near-wall turbulence. J. Fluid Mech. 453, 57–108.10.1017/S002211200100667XGoogle Scholar
Sillero, J. A., Jiménez, J. & Moser, R. D. 2014 Two-point statistics for turbulent boundary layers and channels at Reynolds numbers up to 𝛿+ ≈ 2000. Phys. Fluids 26 (10), 105109.10.1063/1.4899259Google Scholar
de Silva, C. M., Kevin, Baidya, R., Hutchins, N. & Marusic, I. 2018 Large coherence of spanwise velocity in turbulent boundary layers. J. Fluid Mech. 847, 161–185.10.1017/jfm.2018.320Google Scholar
Tomkins, C. D. & Adrian, R. J. 2003 Spanwise structure and scale growth in turbulent boundary layers. J. Fluid Mech. 490, 37–74.10.1017/S0022112003005251Google Scholar
Vanderwel, C. & Ganapathisubramani, B. 2015 Effects of spanwise spacing on large-scale secondary flows in rough-wall turbulent boundary layers. J. Fluid Mech. 774, R2.10.1017/jfm.2015.292Google Scholar