Receptivity of the inclined-cylinder attachment-line boundary layer to vortex perturbations

The receptivity of the boundary layer in the neighborhood of the attachment line of a cylinder inclined to the flow with respect to periodic vortex perturbations frozen into the stream is investigated. The problem considered simulates the interaction between external turbulence and the leading-edge swept wing boundary layer. It is shown that if the direction of the external perturbation vector is almost parallel to the leading edge, then the external perturbations are considerably strengthened at the outer boundary layer edge. This effect can cause laminar-turbulent transition on the attachment line at subcritical Reynolds numbers.Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Academii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 6, 2004, pp. 72–85. Original Russian Text Copyright © 2004 by Ustinov.     

Effect of a steady periodic velocity inhomogeneity on boundary layer stability

Direct numerical simulation is used to investigate laminar-turbulent transition in a boundary layer with a span-periodic inhomogeneity of the velocity profile which is created artificially. It is shown that the presence of the inhomogeneity leads to a slowing down of the growth of unstable perturbations and a delaying of the laminar-turbulent transition.Moscow. Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 4, pp. 45–52, July–August, 1995.     

Three-dimensional receptivity of boundary layers

The paper presents a review of results of some recent (mainly experimental) studies devoted to a quantitative investigation of the problem of receptivity of the 2D and 3D boundary layers with respect to various 3D (in general) external perturbations. The paper concentrates on the mechanisms of excitation and development of stationary and travelling instability modes in a 3D boundary layer on a swept wing, as well as in 2D boundary layers including the Blasius flow and a self-similar boundary layer with an adverse pressure gradient. In particular, the following problems of the boundary-layer receptivity are discussed: (i) receptivity to localized 3D surface roughness, (ii) receptivity to localized 3D surface vibrations, (iii) acoustic receptivity in presence of 3D surface roughness, and (iv) acoustic receptivity in the presence of 3D surface vibrations. All experiments described in the paper were conducted using controlled disturbance conditions with the help of simulation of the stationary and non-stationary perturbations by means of several disturbance generators. This approach gives us the possibility to obtain quantitative results which are independent of any uncontrolled background perturbations of the flow and the experimental model. In contrast to the data obtained at “natural” environmental conditions these results can be directly compared with calculations without any significant assumptions about the physical nature of the disturbances under investigation. The complex (amplitude and phase) coefficients of the boundary-layer receptivity to external perturbations, obtained as functions of the disturbance frequency and the spanwise wavenumber (or the wave propagation angle), represent the main results of the experiments described. These results can be used for the evaluation of the initial amplitudes and phases of the instability modes generated by various external perturbations, as well as for quantitative verification of linear receptivity theories. Several examples of the comparison of experimental results with calculations are also presented in this paper. A brief analysis of the state-of-art in the field is performed and some general properties of different receptivity mechanisms are discussed.     

On asymptotic theory of separated flows past bodies

Symmetric two-dimensional steady flow past a body in a homogeneous incompressible fluid stream at high Reynolds numbers is considered. A slow motion in the reverse flow zone is investigated and the solution for the flow in the external region is obtained in the second approximation. Additional considerations of the fact that the flow in the closure region of the separation zone and in the wake behind this zone is turbulent are presented. The laminar-turbulent transition in the mixing layer is analyzed and an analogy between this process and the propagation of perturbations upstream of the boundary layer interaction regions is revealed.     

Nonlinear Instability in the Region of Laminar-Turbulent Transition in Supersonic Three-Dimensional Flow over a Flat Plate

Direct numerical simulation is applied to obtain laminar-turbulent transition in supersonic flow over a flat plate. It is shown that, due to the nonlinear instability, Tollmien–Schlichting waves generated in the boundary layer lead to the formation of oblique disturbances in the flow. These represent a combination of compression and expansion waves, whose intensities can be two orders higher than that of external harmonic disturbances. The patterns of the three-dimensional flow over the plate are presented and the structures of the turbulent flat-plate boundary layers are described for the freestream Mach numbers M = 2 and 4.     

Scattering of Tollmien-Schlichting waves by localized roughness in transonic boundary layers

The laminar-turbulent transition in boundary-layer flows is often affected by wall imperfections, because the latter may interact with either the freestream perturbations or the oncoming boundary-layer instability modes, leading to a modification of the accumulation of the normal modes. The present paper particularly focuses on the latter mechanism in a transonic boundary layer, namely, the effect of a two-dimensional(2 D) roughness element on the oncoming Tollmien-Schlichting(T-S) modes when they propagate through the region of the rapid mean-flow distortion induced by the roughness. The wave scattering is analyzed by adapting the local scattering theory developed for subsonic boundary layers(WU, X. S. and DONG, M. A local scattering theory for the effects of isolated roughness on boundary-layer instability and transition: transmission coefficient as an eigenvalue. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 794, 68–108(2006)) to the transonic regime, and a transmission coefficient is introduced to characterize the effect of the roughness. In the sub-transonic regime, in which the Mach number is close to, but less than, 1, the scattering system reduces to an eigenvalue problem with the transmission coefficient being the eigenvalue; while in the super-transonic regime, in which the Mach number is slightly greater than 1, the scattering system becomes a high-dimensional group of linear equations with the transmission coefficient being solved afterward. In the largeReynolds-number asymptotic theory, the K′arm′an-Guderley parameter is introduced to quantify the effect of the Mach number. A systematical parametric study is carried out,and the dependence of the transmission coefficient on the roughness shape, the frequency of the oncoming mode, and the K′arm′an-Guderley parameter is provided.     

Statistical description of laminar-turbulent transition in a boundary layer at high freestream turbulence degree

The statistical approach is applied to calculate the intermittence coefficient in boundarylayer laminar-turbulent transition due to external turbulence. It is assumed that turbulent regions in the boundary layer are associated with the appearance of turbulent spots generated by the secondary instability of streaky structures that have reached a threshold amplitude. An universal dependence of the intermittence coefficient in the transition region on the velocity fluctuation amplitude and the Reynolds number is obtained. It describes well the experimental results.     

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.     

Excitation of Tollmien-Schlichting waves py a vibrating section of a surface with flow round it

In the context of the problem of describing the transition of a laminar boundary layer to a turbulent, great interest attaches to the study of susceptibility, i.e., of the reaction of the flow to various external influences, such as acoustic perturbations, surface roughness, vibration of the wall, turbulence of the unperturbed flow, etc. A general property of the effect of the factors mentioned above on the flow in a laminar boundary layer was discovered in experimental and numerical studies and is noted in [1]: in all cases an external forcing perturbation leads to the excitation of normal modes of oscillation in the boundary layer which propagate downstream, namely, Tollmien-Schlichting waves. There is an analytical calculation in [2, 3] of the amplitude of a wave excited by harmonic oscillations of a narrow band on the surface of a plane plate, the Reynolds number having been assumed to be infinitely large, and the frequency of the vibrator corresponding to the neighborhood of the lower branch of the neutral cuirve [4], In [5] the amplitude of the wave of instability generated is calculated by the method of expansion of the solution in a biorthogonal system of eigenfunctions. The amplitudes of the Tollmien-Schlichting waves are calculated below by means of a generalization of the method of [2] for the whole range of Reynolds numbers and frequencies of the vibrator corresponding to the region of instability: for moderate Reynolds numbers the problem is solved numerically, while for large Reynolds numbers an asymptotic solution is constructed.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 4, pp. 46–51, July–August, 1987.The author is grateful to M. N. Kogan and V. V. Mikhailov for useful discussions of the results of the study.     

Excitation of controllable perturbations in the three-dimensional boundary layer using plasma actuators

Two versions of the structure of a multi-discharge plasma actuator intended to excite boundary layer perturbations in the neighborhood of the leading swept-wing edge are suggested. The actuator must prevent from appearance and development of the crossflow instability modes leading to laminarturbulent transition under the normal conditions. In the case of flow past a swept wing, excitation of controllable perturbations by the plasma actuator is simulated numerically in the steady-state approximation under the typical conditions of cruising flight of a subsonic aircraft. The local body force and thermal impact on the boundary layer flow which is periodic along the leading wing edge is considered. The calculations are carried out for the physical impact parameters realizable in the near-surface dielectric barrier discharge.     

Second mode unstable disturbance measurement of hypersonic boundary layer on cone by wavelet transform

Experimental investigation of hypersonic boundary layer instability on a cone is performed at Mach number 6 in a hypersonic wind tunnel.Time series signals of instantaneous fluctuating surface-thermal-flux are measured by Pt-thin-film thermocouple temperature sensors mounted at 28 stations on the cone surface in the streamwise direction to investigate the development of the unstable disturbance.Wavelet transform is employed as a mathematical tool to obtain the multi-scale characteristics of fluctuating surfacethermal-flux both in the temporal and spectrum space.The conditional sampling algorithm using wavelet coefficient as an index is put forward to extract the unstable disturbanceThe generic waveform for the second mode unstable disturbance is obtained by a phase-averaging technique.The development of the unstable disturbance in the streamwise direction is assessed both in the temporal and spectrum space.Our study shows that the local unstable disturbance detection method based on wavelet transformation offers an alternative powerful tool in studying the hypersonic unstable mode of laminar-turbulent transition.It is demonstrated that,at hypersonic speeds,the dominant flow instability is the second mode,which governs the course of laminar-turbulent transition of sharp cone boundary layer.     

Experimental investigation of turbulence in a supersonic flow

The structure of disturbances carried by the flow into the working section of a supersonic wind tunnel has been investigated by means of a constant-current hot-wire anemometer. In order to generate the disturbances grids consisting of round rods were introduced upstream from the nozzle throat. It was found that in the working section the disturbances consist of non-correlating vortex, entropy and acoustic modes. The latter is generated by the boundary layer on the nozzle walls and the first two by the grids. The spectral compositions of the various modes are compared. Because of the presence of grid turbulence the point of laminar-turbulent transition in the boundary layer on a flat plate varied widely.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 3, pp. 119–124, May–June, 1990.     

Spatial Evolution of Nonstationary Perturbations in Hamel Flow

The propagation of small perturbations in longitudinally inhomogeneous flows is investigated. The evolution of the perturbations is studied with reference to the radial flow of a viscous incompressible fluid between plane nonparallel walls, the simplest inhomogeneous flow. Using a generalized method of variation of constants, the corresponding boundary-value problem is reduced to an infinite-dimensional evolutionary system of ordinary differential equations for the complex amplitudes of the eigensolutions of a locally homogeneous problem. Physically, the method can be interpreted as a representation of the perturbation evolution process via two concomitant processes: the independent amplification (attenuation) of normal modes of the locally homogeneous problem and the rescattering of these modes into each other on local inhomogeneities of the base flow. The calculations show that reduced versions of the method are promising for describing the linear stage of laminar-turbulent transition in a boundary layer.     

Scattering of Tollmien-Schlichting waves as they pass over forward-/backward-facing steps

Forward-/backward-facing steps in boundary-layer flows are often seen in engineering applications, and they have potential impacts on laminar-turbulent transition through scattering of the oncoming instability modes(e.g., Tollmien-Schlichting(T-S) waves). This issue is studied in the present paper by applying a local scattering framework, which is a rather generic mathematical framework on describing the mode scattering process. In this framework, a high-Reynolds-number triple-deck formalism is employed, and a transmission coefficient, defined as the ratio of the asymptotic amplitude of the instability mode downstream of the step to that upstream, is introduced. Through the systematical study, it has been found that both the forward-and backward-facing steps have a destabilizing effect on the oncoming T-S waves in subsonic boundary layers, this effect increases with the height of the step and/or the frequency of the T-S wave, and a backward-facing step(BFS) always has a greater impact than a forward-facing step(FFS). These facts agree with most of the previous investigations.However, one numerical study(WORNER, A., RIST, U., and WAGNER, S. Humps/steps influence on stability characteristics of two-dimensional laminar boundary layer. AIAA Journal, 41, 192–197(2003)), which was based on an ad-hoc configuration, showed an opposite impact of an FFS. Through the investigation on the specific configuration, it is revealed that the wrong conclusion was drawn by misinterpreting the numerical results.     

PSE as applied to problems of transition in compressible boundary layers

A new idea of using the parabolized stability equation (PSE) method to predict laminar-turbulent transition is proposed. It is tested in the prediction of the location of transition for compressible boundary layers on flat plates, and the results are compared with those obtained by direct numerical simulations (DNS). The agreement is satisfactory, and the reason for this is that the PSE method faithfully reproduces the mechanism leading to the breakdown process in laminar-turbulent transition, i. e., the modification of mean flow profile leads to a remarkable change in its stability characteristics.     

Stability properties of the vertical boundary layers in differentially heated cavities

In the present study, the two-dimensional (2-D) stability properties of the vertical boundary layers in a cavity that is differentially heated over two opposing vertical walls is considered. The study is performed by introducing artificial, controlled perturbations at the base of the vertical boundary layer along the hot cavity wall and by following the evolution of these disturbances. For small initial perturbations, the evolution is governed by linear effects. This method accurately predicts the frequency of the bifurcation, which occurs for (much) larger Rayleigh numbers. Convective instability sets in for Rayleigh numbers much smaller than those at which the absolute instability (i.e., the bifurcation) occurs, and these Rayleigh numbers are in reasonable agreement with those for the boundary layer along a plate. The absolute instability does not result from the first wave which becomes unstable. For small Prandtl numbers (≤ 2), the unstable waves which lead to the absolute instability are shear-driven, and a single frequency is introduced in the flow after the bifurcation. For larger Prandtl numbers, the unstable waves are buoyancy driven and no single-frequency unsteady flow is observed after the bifurcation.     

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.     

Investigation of boundary layer stability in a gradient flow with a high degree of free-stream turbulence

The results of an experimental investigation of boundary layer stability in a gradient flow with a high degree of free-stream turbulence are presented. The question of the possible artificial generation, the further development and the effect on laminar-turbulent transition of instability waves (Tollmien-Schlichting waves) in the boundary layer on a wing profile is considered for a level of free-stream turbulence =1.75% of the free-stream velocity; the sensitivity of the flow to the disturbances and their control by means of boundary layer suction are investigated.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 2, pp. 52–58, March–April, 1990.     

Mechanism of three-dimensional boundary-layer receptivity

Boundary-layer receptivity is always a hot issue in laminar-turbulent transition. Most actual laminar-turbulent transitions belong to three-dimensional flows. An infinite back-swept flat-plate boundary layer is a typical three-dimensional flow. Study of its receptivity is important both in theory and applications. In this paper, a freestream turbulence model is established. A modified fourth-order Runge-Kutta scheme is used for time marching, and compact finite difference schemes are used for space discretization. On these bases, whether unsteady cross-flow vortices can be excited in the three-dimensional boundary layer(the infinite back-swept flat-plate boundary layer) by free-stream turbulence is studied numerically. If so, effects of the level and the direction of free-stream turbulence on the three-dimensional boundary-layer receptivity are further studied. Differences of the three-dimensional boundary-layer receptivity are then discussed by considering the non-parallel effect, influence of the leading-edge stagnation point of the flat plate, and variation of the back-swept angle separately. Intensive studies on the three-dimensional boundary-layer receptivity will benefit the development of the hydrodynamic stability theory, and provide a theoretical basis for prediction and control of laminar-turbulent transition.     

On the Convection in a Porous Medium with Inclined Temperature Gradient and Vertical Throughflow. Part I. Normal Modes

In this second part of our analysis of the destabilization of transverse modes in an extended horizontal layer of a saturated porous medium with inclined temperature gradient and vertical throughflow, we apply the mathematical formalism of absolute and convective instabilities to studying the nature of the transition to instability of such modes by assuming on physical grounds that the transition is triggered by growing localized wavepackets. It is revealed that in most of the parameter cases treated in the first part of the analysis (Brevdo and Ruderman 2009), at the transition point the evolving instability is convective. Only in the cases of zero horizontal thermal gradient, and in the cases of zero vertical throughflow and the horizontal Rayleigh number R _h < 49, the instability is absolute implying that, as the vertical Rayleigh number, R _v, increases passing through its critical value, R _vc, the destabilization tends to affect the base state throughout and eventually destroys it at every point in space. For the parameter values considered, for which the destabilization has the nature of convective instability, we found that, as R _v, increases beyond the critical value, while the horizontal Rayleigh number, R _h, and the Péclet number, Q _v, are kept fixed, the flow experiences a transition from convective to absolute instability. The values of the vertical Rayleigh number, R _v, at the transition from convective to absolute instability are computed. For convectively unstable, but absolutely stable cases, the spatially amplifying responses to localized oscillatory perturbations, i.e., signaling, are treated and it is found that the amplification is always in the direction of the applied horizontal thermal gradient.