The effect of streamwise vortices on the turbulence structure of a separating boundary layer

A high Reynolds number flat plate turbulent boundary layer is investigated in a wind-tunnel experiment. The flow is subjected to an adverse pressure gradient which is strong enough to generate a weak separation bubble. This experimental study attempts to shed some new light on separation control by means of streamwise vortices with emphasize on the change in the boundary layer turbulence structure. In the present case, counter-rotating and initially non-equidistant streamwise vortices become and remain equidistant and confined within the boundary layer, contradictory to the prediction by inviscid theory. The viscous diffusion cause the vortices to grow, the swirling velocity component to decrease and the boundary layer to develop towards a two-dimensional state. At the position of the eliminated separation bubble the following changes in the turbulence structure were observed. The anisotropy state in the near-wall region is unchanged, which indicates that it is determined by the presence of the wall rather than the large scale vortices. However, the turbulence in the outer part of the boundary layer becomes overall more isotropic due to an increased wall-normal mixing and a significantly decreased production of streamwise fluctuations. The turbulent kinetic energy is decreased as a consequence of the latter. Despite the complete change in mean flow, the spatial turbulence structure and the anisotropy state, the process of transfer of turbulent kinetic energy to the spanwise fluctuating component seems to be unchanged. Local regions of anisotropy are strongly connected to maxima in the turbulent production. For example, at spanwise positions in between those of symmetry, the spanwise gradient of the streamwise velocity cause significant production of turbulent fluctuations. Transport of turbulence in the spanwise direction occurs in the same direction as the rotation of the vortices.     

DNS of a Laminar Separation Bubble in the Presence of Oscillating External Flow

A three-dimensional Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) of a laminar separation bubble in the presence of oscillating flow is performed. The oscillating flow induces a streamwise pressure gradient varying in time. The special shape of the upper boundary of the computational domain, together with the oscillating pressure gradient causes the boundary layer flow to alternately separate and re-attach. When the inflow decelerates, the shear layer starts to separate and rolls up. Simultaneously the flow becomes 3D. After a transient period, the phase-averaged reverse flow inside the separation bubble reaches speeds ranging from 20 up to 150% of the free-stream velocity. During these phases, the flow is absolutely unstable and self-sustained turbulence can exist. When the inflow starts to accelerate, a spanwise roll of turbulent flow is shed from the shear layer. Shortly after this, the remainder of the separation bubble moves downstream and rejoins with the shed turbulent roll. During the flow-acceleration phase, a patch of laminar boundary layer flow is obtained. Along the flat plate, a series of turbulent patches of flow travelling downstream, separated by laminar flow can be observed, reminiscent of boundary layer flow in a turbine cascade with periodically appearing free-stream disturbances.     

Bypass transition receptivity modes

The prediction of bypass transition remains an important problem in many engineering applications. This is largely because there is no suitable theoretical model for bypass transition and predictions are made using empirical models. This paper presents numerical results for the receptivity of a zero pressure gradient boundary layer subjected to simple freestream waveforms which are the constituent parts of a turbulent flow field. Significant receptivities are only obtained for a minority of freestream waveforms and these lead to two types of flow structure in the boundary layer. The first type of flow structure is essentially two dimensional in nature and consists of two rows of counter-rotating spanwise vortices and is induced by freestream waves of large normal and spanwise wavelength and streamwise wavelengths approximately equal to the boundary layer thickness. The second type of flow structure are the streamwise streaks frequently observed in flow visualisation experiments. These streaks are induced by freestream waves of long streamwise and normal wavelength and spanwise wavelengths in the range of 14.5-46 θ (1.7-5.4δ). The freestream waves can be formed of velocity components in any direction, however the boundary layer is most receptive to fluctuations that lie in a plane perpendicular to the streamwise direction. The overall receptivity to a full spectrum of waves typical of freestream turbulence is considered and is shown to have similar characteristics to those from experiments.     

PIV measurements in a weakly separating and reattaching turbulent boundary layer

A high Reynolds number flat plate turbulent boundary layer was studied in a wind-tunnel experiment using particle image velocimetry (PIV). The flow is subjected to an adverse pressure gradient (APG) which is designed such that the boundary layer separates and reattaches, forming a weak separation bubble. With PIV we are able to get a more complete picture of this complex flow phenomenon. The view of a separation bubble being composed of large scale coherent regions of instantaneous backflow occurring randomly in a three-dimensional manner in space and time is verified by the present PIV measurements. The PIV database was used to test the applicability of various velocity scalings around the separation bubble. We found that the mean velocity profiles in the outer part of the boundary layer, and to some extent also the Reynolds shear-stress, are self-similar when using a velocity scale based on the local pressure gradient. The same can be said for the so called Perry–Schofield scaling, which suggests that the two velocity scales are connected. This can also be interpreted as an experimental evidence of the claimed relation between the latter velocity scale and the maximum Reynolds shear-stress.     

An extended study of the hydrodynamics of gravity-driven film flow of power-law fluids

A new similarity transformation has been devised for extensive studies of accelerating non-Newtonian film flow. The partial differential equations governing the hydrodynamics of the flow of a power-law fluid down along an inclined plane surface are transformed into a set of two ordinary differential equations by means of the dimensionless velocity component approach. Although the analysis is applicable for any angle of inclination (0<π/2), the resulting one-parameter problem involves only the power-law index n. Nevertheless, physically essential quantities, like the velocity components and the skin-friction coefficient, do depend on and relevant relationships are deduced between the vertical and inclined cases. Accurate numerical similarity solutions are provided for n in the range from 0.1 to 2.0. The present method enables solutions to be obtained also for highly pseudo-plastic films, i.e. for n below 0.5. The mass flow rate entrained into the momentum boundary layer from the inviscid freestream is expressed in terms of a dimensionless mass flux parameter Φ, which depends on the dimensionless boundary layer thickness and the velocity components at the edge of the viscous boundary layer. Φ, which is thus an integral part of the similarity solution, turns out to decrease monotonically with n. This parameter is of particular relevance in the determination of the streamwise position at which the entire freestream has been entrained and viscous stresses prevail all the way to the free surface of the film. A short-cut method to facilitate rapid and yet accurate estimates of the mass flux parameter is developed to this end.     

An experimental study into the effects of streamwise and spanwise acceleration in a turbulent boundary layer

We compare two turbulent boundary layers produced in a low-speed water channel experiment. Both are subjected to an identical streamwise pressure gradient generated via a lateral contraction of the channel, and an additional spanwise pressure gradient is imposed on one of the layers by curving the contraction walls. Despite a relatively high streamwise acceleration, hot-film probe measurements of the mean-velocity distributions show that the Reynolds number increases whilst the coefficient of friction decreases downstream. Visualization of the viscous layers using hydrogen bubbles reveal an increase in the non-dimensional streak spacing in response to the acceleration. Changes in statistical moments of the streamwise velocity near the wall suggest an increased dominance of high-velocity fluctuations. The near-wall streaks and velocity statistics have little sensitivity to the boundary layer three-dimensionality induced by the spanwise pressure gradient, with the boundary-layer crossflow velocity reaching 11 % that of the local freestream velocity.     

Drag and lift reduction of a 3D bluff-body using active vortex generators

In this study, a passive flow control experiment on a 3D bluff-body using vortex generators (VGs) is presented. The bluff-body is a modified Ahmed body (Ahmed in J Fluids Eng 105:429–434 1983) with a curved rear part, instead of a slanted one, so that the location of the flow separation is no longer forced by the geometry. The influence of a line of non-conventional trapezoïdal VGs on the aerodynamic forces (drag and lift) induced on the bluff-body is investigated. The high sensitivity to many geometric (angle between the trapezoïdal element and the wall, spanwise spacing between the VGs, longitudinal location on the curved surface) and physical (freestream velocity) parameters is clearly demonstrated. The maximum drag reduction is ?12%, while the maximum global lift reduction can reach more than ?60%, with a strong dependency on the freestream velocity. For some configurations, the lift on the rear axle of the model can be inverted (?104%). It is also shown that the VGs are still efficient even downstream of the natural separation line. Finally, a dynamic parameter is chosen and a new set-up with motorized vortex generators is proposed. Thanks to this active device. The optimal configurations depending on two parameters are found more easily, and a significant drag and lift reduction (up to ?14% drag reduction) can be reached for different freestream velocities. These results are then analyzed through wall pressure and velocity measurements in the near-wake of the bluff-body with and without control. It appears that the largest drag and lift reduction is clearly associated to a strong increase of the size of the recirculation bubble over the rear slant. Investigation of the velocity field in a cross-section downstream the model reveals that, in the same time, the intensity of the longitudinal trailing vortices is strongly reduced, suggesting that the drag reduction is due to the breakdown of the balance between the separation bubble and the longitudinal vortices. It demonstrates that for low aspect ratio 3D bluff-bodies, like road vehicles, the flow control strategy is much different from the one used on airfoils: an early separation of the boundary layer can lead to a significant drag reduction if the circulation of the trailing vortices is reduced.     

Experimental study of the boundary layer over an airfoil in plunging motion

This is an experimental study on the boundary layer over an airfoil under steady and unsteady conditions.It specifically deals with the effect of plunging oscillation on the laminar/turbulent characteristics of the boundary layer.The wind tunnel measurements involved surfacemounted hot-film sensors and boundary-layer rake.The experiments were conducted at Reynolds numbers of 0.42×10 6 to 0.84 × 10 6 and the reduced frequency was varied from 0.01 to 0.11.The results of the quasi-wall-shear stress as well as the boundary layer velocity profiles provided important information about the state of the boundary layer over the suction surface of the airfoil in both static and dynamic cases.For the static tests,boundary layer transition occurred through a laminar separation bubble.By increasing the angle of attack,disturbances and the transition location moved toward the leading edge.For the dynamic tests,earlier transition occurred with increasing rather than decreasing effective angle of attack.The mean angle of attack and the oscillating parameters significantly affected the state of the boundary layer.By increasing the reduced frequency,the boundary layer transition was promoted to the upstroke portion of the equivalent angle of attack,but the quasi skin friction coefficient was decreased.     

The Effect of Pressure Gradient on Boundary Layer Receptivity

This paper presents numerical results for the receptivity of three laminar boundary layers with zero (ZPG), adverse (APG) and favourable (FPG) pressure gradients. Each boundary layer is subjected to a series of simple freestream waveforms which can be considered as constituent parts of either an isotropic or a non-isotropic turbulent freestream. Each freestream waveform has a single frequency in each spatial direction and is divided into two mutually perpendicular components. The first component has a zero spanwise velocity and hence lies in the streamwise normal plane whereas the second component lies in a plane which is perpendicular both to this plane and the spatial frequency vector. High boundary layer receptivities are only obtained for a minority of these waveforms and so only the resulting flow structures for these waveforms are considered in detail. The dominant flow structures are identified as either Tollmien Schlichting (T-S) waves or streaky structures. The streaky structures can be induced by both freestream components, but the response to the second component, which results in streamwise vortices in the freestream, is considerably stronger and occurs over a much larger streamwise frequency range. The boundary layer is only receptive to a relatively narrow band of spanwise wavelengths ranging from approximately one to four times the local boundary layer thickness. The APG leads to receptivities which are more than double those for the FPG case. The ratio of the freestream fluctuation streamwise wavelength to the distance from the plate leading edge is identified as an important influential parameter for receptivity leading to streaks. Significant T-S activity is only observed for APG, but is also detected for ZPG.     

The near-wall layer beneath a moderately converging three-dimensional turbulent separated and reattaching flow

Pulsed-wire mean velocity and surface shear stress measurements have been made in a three-dimensional separation bubble in which there is a mild lateral convergence, bounded by side regions of spanwise invariance. Even though the convergence is mild the bubble parameters change considerably with lateral position. Velocity measurements near the surface were made with a special through-wall pulsed-wire probe. The cross-flow layer is substantially thicker than the reverse-flow layer even in the invariant region. Cross-flow and reverse-flow velocity profiles are each remarkably close in shape, though probably not exactly self similar. Surface shear stresses in the cross- and reverse-flow directions conform to local scalings and Reynolds-number dependences based on thickness and `external' velocity. These scalings also apply (quantitatively) downstream of and, it appears, through attachment. The surface shear stress in the cross-flow direction is higher than the streamwise stress, consistent with a distinctly fuller mean velocity profile. There is a striking comparability with three-dimensional boundary layers once the flow directions are transposed, the cross flow taking the part of the primary flow, and the reverse flow the secondary flow.     

Characteristic Regimes of Transitional Separation Bubbles in Unsteady Flow

This experimental investigation deals with transition phenomena of a separated boundary layer under unsteady inlet flow conditions. The main purpose of this investigation is to understand the influence of the rotor-stator interaction in turbomachinery on the subsequent, highly loaded boundary layer. The research project is divided into two phases. In the first phase, which has been completed recently, only the variation of mean velocity caused by upstream blades was simulated in the experiments while the free-stream turbulence intensity was retained at a constant low level. The experiments are carried out in an Eifel-type wind tunnel to investigate the laminar separated boundary layer of a flat plate under oscillating inlet conditions. The adverse pressure gradient, similar to that of turbomachines, is generated by the contoured upper wall. The unsteadiness is produced by a rotating flap located downstream of the test section. The reduced frequency, the amplitude and the mean Reynolds number are varied to simulate the conditions prevailing in turbomachines. In addition to the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability of the separated shear layer, a lower frequency instability was observed. This is frequently referred to as `free shear layer flapping' and results in two distinctly different ways of re-attachment, depending primarily on the Reynolds number. For low momentum thickness Reynolds numbers at the separation point, large-scale vortices locked to the frequency of the unsteady main flow are identified. They originate nearly at the top of the separation bubble and are ejected downstream. A fully turbulent boundary layer develops after these vortices mix out. For higher Reynolds numbers, transition is completed within a short length of the free shear layer and there-attachment region. The characteristic momentum thickness Reynolds number separating these two regimes in unsteady flow is about 125. The Strouhal number (reduced frequency) does not appear to have any significant effect. Based on the experimental results, this behaviour is discussed in some detail. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

激波与转捩边界层干扰非定常特性数值分析

激波与边界层干扰的非定常问题是高速飞行器气动设计中基础研究内容之一.以往研究主要针对层流和湍流干扰,在分离激波低频振荡及其内在机理方面存在着上游机制和下游机制两类截然不同的理论解释.分析激波与转捩边界层干扰下非定常运动现象有助于进一步加深理解边界层状态以及分离泡结构对低频振荡特性的影响规律,为揭示其产生机理指出新的方向.采用直接数值模拟方法对来流马赫数2.9,24?压缩拐角内激波与转捩边界层干扰下激波的非定常运动特性进行了数值分析.通过在拐角上游平板特定的流向位置添加吹吸扰动激发流动转捩,使得进入拐角的边界层处于转捩初期阶段.在验证了计算程序可靠性的基础上,详细分析了转捩干扰下激波运动的间歇性和振荡特征,着重研究了分离泡展向三维结构对激波振荡特性的影响规律,最后还初步探索了转捩干扰下激波低频振荡产生的物理机制.研究结果表明:分离激波的非定常运动仍存在强间歇性和低频振荡特征,其时间尺度约为上游无干扰区内脉动信号特征尺度的10倍量级;分离泡展向三维结构不会对分离激波的低频振荡特征产生实质影响.依据瞬态脉动流场的低通滤波结果,转捩干扰下激波低频振荡的诱因来源于拐角干扰区下游,与流场中分离泡的收缩/膨胀运动存在一定的关联.     

Separation control in a conical diffuser with an annular inlet: center body wake separation

In many practical applications of conical diffusers, the flow is fed by an annular flow passage formed by a center body. Flow separation, which occurs if the center body ends abruptly, is undesirable because it degrades the diffuser performance. The present experiment utilizes magnetic resonance velocimetry to acquire three-component mean velocity measurements for a set of conical diffusers with an annular inlet. The results show strong coupling between the diffuser wall boundary layer development and the wake of the center body. Coanda blowing is used to mitigate the center body wake separation. The diffuser wall boundary layer is thick in the absence of the central separation bubble and separates when Coanda blowing is too strong.     

不可压缩机翼绕流的有限谱法计算

结合有限谱QUICK格式求解不可压缩粘性流问题。这一格式用于模拟不同攻角下的NACA1200机翼绕流问题。利用体积力,提出了将流场速度从0加速到来流速度的方法。区别于传统的压力梯度为零的边界条件,推导出一个更精确的压力边界条件。为使速度散度保持为零,在泊松方程中给速度散度一个特殊的处理。这一成果说明了有限谱法不但具有很高的精度,而且能灵活地和其他格式一起构造出新的格式,从而成功地应用到复杂流场不可压缩流动的数值计算中。     

Numerical Modeling of the Development of a Streaky Structure in a Boundary Layer at a High Freestream Turbulence Level

The disturbances generated by external turbulence in the boundary layer on a flat plate set suddenly in motion are determined. A turbulent flow calculated by direct numerical simulation is taken as the initial conditions. The solution obtained simulates the initial stage of laminar-turbulent transition in the flat-plate boundary layer at a high turbulence level in the oncoming flow. The solution makes it possible to estimate the effects of different factors, such as nonstationarity, nonlinearity, and the parameters of the freestream velocity fluctuation spectrum, on disturbance enhancement in the boundary layer.     

The near wake structure of a square cylinder

The near wake structure of a square cross section cylinder in flow perpendicular to its length was investigated experimentally over a Reynolds number (based on cylinder width) range of 6700–43,000. The wake structure and the characteristics of the instability wave, scaling on θ at separation, were strongly dependent on the incidence angle () of the freestream velocity. The nondimensional frequency (St_θ) of the instability wave varied within the range predicted for laminar instability frequencies for flat plate wakes, jets and shear layers. For = 22.5°, the freestream velocity was accelerated over the side walls and the deflection of the streamlines (from both sides of the cylinder) towards the center line was higher compared to the streamlines for = 0°. This caused the vortices from both sides of the cylinder to merge by x/d 2, giving the mean velocity distribution typical of a wake profile. For = 0°, the vortices shed from both sides of the cylinder did not merge until x/d 4.5. The separation boundary layer for all cases was either transitional or turbulent, yet the results showed good qualitative, and for some cases even quantitative, agreement with linearized stability results for small amplitude disturbances waves in laminar separation layers.     

Numerical modeling of laminar-turbulent transition in a boundary layer at a high freestream turbulence level

Disturbances generated by external turbulence in the boundary layer on a flat plate set suddenly in motion are determined by numerically solving the Navier-Stokes equations. The results of direct numerical simulation of isotropic homogenous turbulence are taken as initial conditions. The solution obtained models laminar-turbulent transition in the flat-plate boundary layer at a high freestream turbulence level, time measured from the onset of the motion serving as the longitudinal coordinate. The solution makes it possible to estimate the effect of different factors, such as flow unsteadiness and nonlinearity and the characteristics of the freestream velocity fluctuation spectrum, on laminar-turbulent transition in the boundary layer.     

Direct Numerical Simulation of Self-Similar Turbulent Boundary Layers in Adverse Pressure Gradients

Direct numerical simulations of the Navier–Stokes equations have been carried out with the objective of studying turbulent boundary layers in adverse pressure gradients. The boundary layer flows concerned are of the equilibrium type which makes the analysis simpler and the results can be compared with earlier experiments and simulations. This type of turbulent boundary layers also permits an analysis of the equation of motion to predict separation. The linear analysis based on the assumption of asymptotically high Reynolds number gives results that are not applicable to finite Reynolds number flows. A different non-linear approach is presented to obtain a useful relation between the freestream variation and other mean flow parameters. Comparison of turbulent statistics from the zero pressure gradient case and two adverse pressure gradient cases shows the development of an outer peak in the turbulent energy in agreement with experiment. The turbulent flows have also been investigated using a differential Reynolds stress model. Profiles for velocity and turbulence quantities obtained from the direct numerical simulations were used as initial data. The initial transients in the model predictions vanished rapidly. The model predictions are compared with the direct simulations and low Reynolds number effects are investigated.     

Direct Numerical Simulation of a Square Jet Ejected Transversely into an Accelerating, Laminar Main Flow

A numerical simulation of a square jet ejected transversely into a laminar boundary-layer flow was performed at a jet-to-main-flow velocity ratio of 9.78 and jet Reynolds number of 6330. The jet consisted of a single pulse with a duration equal to the time required for the jet fluid to travel 173 jet widths. A strongly-favourable streamwise pressure gradient was applied to the boundary layer and produced a freestream acceleration that is above the typical threshold required for relaminarization. The results of the simulation illustrate the effect of the favourable streamwise pressure gradient on the flowfield created by the transverse jet. Notably, the horseshoe vortex system created upwind of the jet remains steady in time and does not induce noticeable fluctuations in the jet flow. The upwind and downwind shear layers of the jet roll-up through a Kelvin–Helmholtz-like instability into discrete shear-layer vortices. Jet vorticity in the upwind and downwind shear layers accumulates near the corners of the jet and produces two sets of vortex pairs, the former of which couple with the shear-layer vortices to produce large, counter-rotating vortices in the freestream, while the latter are unstable and periodically produce hairpin vortices in the main-flow boundary layer and elongated vortices in the freestream behind the jet. The departure of the jet flowfield from the vortical structures typically observed in transverse jets illustrates the substantive effect of the favourable streamwise pressure gradient on the flowfield created by the jet.     

Stability of a spanwise nonuniform boundary layer flow

The linear stability of a boundary layer flow with a spanwise-periodic nonuniformity in the velocity profile is investigated. This flow can be considered as a model of a streaky structure occurring in the boundary layer at a high freestream turbulence level. It is shown that for a small nonuniformity amplitude symmetric modes similar to Tollmien-Schlichting waves are the most unstable. At higher nonuniformity amplitudes, antisymmetric modes, qualitatively different from Tollmien-Schlichting waves and having a larger phase velocity, are the most amplified. Moscow. Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 6, pp. 54–63, November–December, 1998. The study was carried out with the support of the International Scientific and Technical Center (project No. 199-95) and the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project No. 95-01-01201a).