2 results
Low-Reynolds-number turbulent boundary layers
- Lincoln P. Erm, Peter N. Joubert
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- Journal:
- Journal of Fluid Mechanics / Volume 230 / September 1991
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 26 April 2006, pp. 1-44
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An investigation was undertaken to improve our understanding of low-Reynolds-number turbulent boundary layers flowing over a smooth flat surface in nominally zero pressure gradients. In practice, such flows generally occur in close proximity to a tripping device and, though it was known that the flows are affected by the actual low value of the Reynolds number, it was realized that they may also be affected by the type of tripping device used and variations in free-stream velocity for a given device. Consequently, the experimental programme was devised to investigate systematically the effects of each of these three factors independently. Three different types of device were chosen: a wire, distributed grit and cylindrical pins. Mean-flow, broadband-turbulence and spectral measurements were taken, mostly for values of Rθ varying between about 715 and about 2810. It was found that the mean-flow and broadband-turbulence data showed variations with Rθ, as expected. Spectra were plotted using scaling given by Perry, Henbest & Chong (1986) and were compared with their models which were developed for high-Reynolds-number flows. For the turbulent wall region, spectra showed reasonably good agreement with their model. For the fully turbulent region, spectra did show some appreciable deviations from their model, owing to low-Reynolds-number effects. Mean-flow profiles, broadband-turbulence profiles and spectra were found to be affected very little by the type of device used for Rθ ≈ 1020 and above, indicating an absence of dependence on flow history for this Rθ range. These types of measurements were also compared at both Rθ ≈ 1020 and Rθ ≈ 2175 to see if they were dependent on how Rθ was formed (i.e. the combination of velocity and momentum thickness used to determine Rθ). There were noticeable differences for Rθ ≈ 1020, but these differences were only convincing for the pins, and there was a general overall improvement in agreement for Rθ ≈ 2175.
Lateral straining of turbulent boundary layers. Part 1. Streamline divergence
- Seyed G. Saddoughi, Peter N. Joubert
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- Journal:
- Journal of Fluid Mechanics / Volume 229 / August 1991
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 26 April 2006, pp. 173-204
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Extensive experimental studies are presented of the effects of prolonged streamline divergence on developing turbulent boundary layers. The experiment was arranged as source flow over a flat plate with a maximum divergence parameter of about 0.075. Mild, but alternating in sign, upstream-pressure-gradient effects on diverging boundary layers are also discussed.
It appears that two overlapping stages of development are involved. The initial stage covers a distance of about 20 initial boundary-layer thicknesses (δ0) from the start of divergence, where the coupled effects of pressure gradient and divergence are present. In this region there is a fairly large reduction in divergence parameter, Rθ (Reynolds number based on momentum thickness) remains constant (≈ 1400) and the boundary-layer properties change rapidly. In the second region, which lasts nearly to the end of the diverging section, the pressure-gradient effects are negligible, the rate of decrease in divergence parameter is very small and Rθ increases gradually. Up to the last measurement station (≈ 100δ0) the flow is still considered to be at a low Reynolds number (Rθ ≈ 2000). For almost the entire length of this region, the profiles of non-dimensional eddy viscosity appear to be self-similar, but have larger values than for the unperturbed flow. Also in this region, beyond 35δ0, the wake parameter, which has reduced significantly, becomes nearly constant and independent of Rθ. On the other hand the entrainment rate attains a constant value at around 50δ0. It appears that the boundary layer reaches a state of equilibrium. It is suggested that this is the result of an enhanced turbulent diffusion to the outer layer. Spectral measurements show that divergence affects mainly the low-wavenumber, large-scale motions. However, there is no change in large-eddy configurations, since the dimensionless structure parameters show only negligible deviations from the unperturbed values.