Experiments on localized disturbances in a flat plate boundary layer. Part 1. The receptivity and evolution of a localized free stream disturbance

The receptivity of a laminar boundary layer to free stream disturbances has been experimentally investigated through the introduction of deterministic localized disturbances upstream of a flat plate mounted in a wind tunnel. Hot-wire measurements indicate that the spanwise gradient of the normal velocity component (and hence the streamwise vorticity) plays an essential role in the transfer of disturbance energy into the boundary layer. Inside the laminar boundary layer the disturbances were found to give rise to the formation of longitudinal structures of alternating high and low streamwise velocity. Similar streaky structures exist in laminar boundary layers exposed to free stream turbulence, in which the disturbance amplitude increases in linear proportion to the displacement thickness. In the present study the perturbation amplitude of the streaks was always decaying for the initial amplitudes used, in contrast to the growing fluctuations that are observed in the presence of free stream turbulence. This points out the importance of the continuous influence from the free stream turbulence along the boundary layer edge.     

The interaction of a shock wave with the boundary layer in a reflected shock tunnel

The influence of a nontotal reflection on the interaction of a reflected shock wave with the boundary layer in a reflected shock tunnel has been investigated. The calculating method of the velocity, the temperature and the Mach number profiles in the boundary layer in reflected shock fixed coordinates has been obtained. To account for equilibrium real gas effects of nitrogen, the numerical results show that the minimum Mach number in the boundary layer has been moved from the wall into the boundary layer with the increasing of the incident shock Mach number. The minimum Mach number, the shock angle in the bifurcated foot and the jet velocity along the wall to the end plate are reduced owing to the increasing of the area of nozzle throat. The numerical results are in good agreement with measurements.     

Application of the method of near-wall boundary conditions to an investigation of turbulent flows with longitudinal pressure gradients

The dynamic and thermal characteristics of steady near-wall boundary layers in flow deceleration regions are studied on the basis of differential turbulencemodels. The method of transferring the boundary conditions from the wall into the flow is tested for flows with variable longitudinal pressure gradients. Using differential turbulence models in the transition and low-Reynolds-number regions near surfaces the effect of the parameters of highly turbulent free stream on the development of dynamic processes in the developed turbulent boundary layer in the flow deceleration region is studied. The calculated profiles of the velocity, the kinetic energy of turbulence, the friction and thermal conductivity coefficients, and the temperature factor are compared with the experimental data in the cases in which the boundary conditions are preassigned both on the wall and in the flow. The effect of an intermediate boundary condition on the results of the calculations is analyzed.     

Mean and turbulence measurements in the boundary layer and wake of a symmetric aerofoil

Detailed measurements of two-dimensional profiles of static pressure, mean velocity, turbulence intensity and Reynolds shear stress were carried out with conventional pressure probes and hot wire probes at preselected streamwise stations in the boundary layer and wake of a 12.5% thick, 600 mm chord two-dimensional symmetric aerofoil mounted at zero incidence in a low speed wind tunnel. The chord Reynolds number was one million and the wake measurements extended up to three chord lengths (or nearly 660 trailing edge momentum thicknesses) downstream of the trailing edge. The data indicate rapid interaction of the wall layers immediately behind the trailing edge, leading to significant changes in the flow parameters close to the trailing edge. The relaxation of the wake is preceded by initial ‘overshoot’ in the streamwise profiles of mean-flow parameters and peak values of turbulence components. Further growth of the wake towards similarity/equilibrium is discussed.     

Investigation of supersonic separated flow in a compression corner by laser doppler anemometry

A single-component, computer-operated, three dimensional traversing Laser Doppler Velocimetry system was designed and constructed for a supersonic wind tunnel. The model was a 10° compression corner, providing an example of laminar boundary layer separation. Static pressure data and color schlieren photographs were taken. The Mach number was 2.42 and the Reynolds number was 2.13 x 105. The flow was seeded with submicron sized oil droplets.The trend of decreasing upstream influence with increasing Reynolds number was confirmed. Mean velocity profiles provided experimental evidence of reversed flow. Points of separation and reattachment were consistent with those determined by schlieren and pressure scans. The flow was of the laminar type until downstream of reattachment. Individual mean velocity and turbulence profiles, as well as velocity histograms are presented.     

Three-dimensional features of a Mach 2.1 shock/boundary layer interaction

2D particle image velocimetry was used to study the three-dimensionality of the shock-boundary layer interaction generated by a small 20° compression ramp in a low aspect ratio continuously operated wind tunnel. High-resolution data were taken in four streamwise-wallnormal planes: three planes located in the sidewall boundary layer and one near the tunnel centerline. The incoming boundary layer was found to show three-dimensionality, with significant overshoot in the velocity profiles observed near the sidewall. The size of the wedge influenced the interaction, which was weaker than that observed in the case of a large compression wedge. The flow turning angle was ≈8° near the tunnel centerline and changed significantly across the span. Measurements behind the compression wedge in the centerline plane showed that both velocity and turbulence properties were nearly fully recovered ≈14δ behind the compression corner. The shock angle varied with spanwise position, and a multi-shock structure was observed in the sidewall planes. The size of the interaction decreased in the sidewall boundary layer. Non-monotonic variations in both velocity and turbulence profiles across the sidewall planes suggest the presence of significant spanwise flows, possibly corner vortices.     

Anisotropy measurements in the boundary layer over a flat plate with suction

Laser Doppler velocity measurements are carried out in a turbulent boundary layer subjected to concentrated wall suction (through a porous strip). The measurements are taken over a longitudinal distance of 9× the incoming boundary layer thickness ahead of the suction strip. The mean and rms velocity profiles are affected substantially by suction. Two-point measurements show that the streamwise and wall-normal autocorrelations of the streamwise velocity are reduced by suction. It is found that suction alters the redistribution of the turbulent kinetic energy k between its components. Relative to the no-suction case, the longitudinal Reynolds stress contributes more to k than the other two normal Reynolds stresses; in the outer region, its contribution is reduced which suggests structural changes in the boundary layer. This is observed in the anisotropy of the Reynolds stresses, which depart from the non-disturbed boundary layer. With suction, the anisotropy level in the near-wall region appears to be stronger than that of the undisturbed layer. It is argued that the mean shear induced by suction on the flow is responsible for the alteration of the anisotropy. The variation of the anisotropy of the layer will make the development of a turbulence model quite difficult for the flow behind suction. In that respect, a turbulence model will need to reproduce well the effects of suction on the boundary layer, if the model is to capture the effect of suction on the anisotropy of the Reynolds stresses.     

Downstream evolution of junction flow three-component velocity fluctuations through the lens of the diagnostic plot

Experimental measurements of the streamwise and transverse velocity components have been acquired in three spanwise/wall-normal planes in the wakes of both a streamlined ‘wing’ and a bluff ‘wing’ junction. The ‘extended’ diagnostic plot introduced by Alfredsson et al. (2011) (see figure 3 therein) is used as a benchmark to locally evaluate the departure of turbulent wing-body junction flow wakes from ‘equilibrium’ boundary layers. Both obstacles produce a secondary flow of Prandtl’s first kind, which disrupts the equilibrium implied by the universality of the extended diagnostic plot. The plane wake of the obstacle itself (away from the junction) also disrupts this equilibrium. It is found that with downstream development the boundary layer eventually recovers to the base zero-pressure-gradient ‘equilibrium’, and that this recovery process emanates from the near-wall region. The transverse velocity components are also examined in “extended diagnostic” form, revealing that the wall-normal fluctuations recover to the zero-pressure-gradient case near the wall more rapidly than the wall-parallel components.     

Visualizing supersonic inlet duct unstart using planar laser Rayleigh scattering

Planar laser Rayleigh scattering (PLRS) from condensed CO₂ particles is used to visualize flow structure in a Mach 5 wind tunnel undergoing unstart. Detailed flow features such as laminar/turbulent boundary layers and shockwaves are readily illustrated by the technique. A downstream transverse air jet, inducing flow unchoking downstream of the jet, is injected into the free stream flow of the tunnel, resulting in tunnel unstart. Time sequential PLRS images reveal that the boundary layer growth/separation on a surface with a thick turbulent boundary layer, initiated by the jet injection, propagates upstream and produces an oblique unstart shock. The tunnel unstarts upon the arrival of the shock at the inlet. In contrast, earlier flow separation on the opposite surface, initially supporting a thin laminar boundary layer, is observed when a jet induced bow shock strikes that surface. The resulting disturbance to this boundary layer also propagates upstream and precedes the formation of an unstart shock.     

The accuracy of turbulent velocity component measurements by multi-sensor hot-wire probes: a new approach to an old problem

The measurement accuracy of different hot-wire probes possessing between two and 12 sensors is analyzed. Experimental data were sampled in a round free jet and in a zero-pressure-gradient turbulent boundary layer by a 12-sensor hot-wire probe. Testing of the various hot-wire configurations is enabled by selectively considering different combinations of the 12 available anemometer output voltages. The influence on the measurement accuracy of neglecting the velocity gradients as well as neglecting one velocity component is analyzed. Two approaches were applied. One is based on expressions that relate the instantaneous velocity components and velocity gradients, and the other is based on a simple least-squares regression method. It is found that neglecting the instantaneous fluctuations of the velocity gradients for the measurement of the cross-stream velocity component, V, has a crucial influence and results in large errors. It is also shown that this influence is less significant or even negligible for the measurement accuracy of the other two velocity components, U and W.     

一类平衡大气边界层边界条件研究

基于标准k-ε湍流模型,首先利用湍流粘度方程和剪切应力在整个边界层内恒定的假设,推导出一类耗散率表达式,并根据常用的湍动能入口剖面方程以及平均风速剖面方程,计算获得相应的耗散率方程;然后在输运方程中添加自定义源项,通过已经确定的平均速度方程、湍动能方程、耗散率方程计算得到相应输运方程的自定义源项表达式,并进行空风洞数值模拟,从而得到了一类满足平衡大气边界层的来流边界条件．通过将这种边界条件与由湍流平衡条件得到的边界条件进行比较,表明本方法获得的边界条件更适用．并且,本方法无需考虑修正壁面函数和修正湍流模型常数,因而计算更为简单,可为平衡大气边界层的研究提供一种新的思路．     

Vortex characteristics in laminar cavity flow at very low Mach number

In the present paper, a laminar cavity is analysed at very low Mach numbers. The characteristics of core-vortices are proposed and commented. The experiments were performed in an open subsonic wind tunnel using particle image velocimetry (PIV). A rectangular cavity with a length-to-depth ratio of 4 was used (shallow and open type). Three different Reynolds numbers, based on cavity depth and free stream velocity, were examined (Re_h=4,000, 9,000 and 13,000). The upstream boundary layer was investigated using classical hot-wire anemometry and was found to be laminar. For each Reynolds number, a total of 1,000 vectors fields were acquired. The results are given in terms of conventional quantities (mean flow velocity, turbulence characteristics, Reynolds shear stress) and also in terms of vortex characteristics (such as probability density function of vortex location, vortex size and vortex circulation). Some of these vortex characteristics are then proposed in a local averaged presentation. The extraction of vortices from instantaneous flow fields has been done through the use of a home-made algorithm based on continuous wavelet analysis.     

Effects of free‐stream turbulence on large‐scale coherent structures of separated boundary layer transition

It has been well established that large‐scale structures, usually called coherent structures, exist in many transitional and turbulent flows. The topology and range of scales of those large‐scale structures vary from flow to flow such as counter‐rotating vortices in wake flows, streaks and hairpin vortices in turbulent boundary layer. There has been relatively little study of large‐scale structures in separated and reattached transitional flows. Large‐eddy simulation (LES) is employed in the current study to investigate a separated boundary layer transition under 2% free‐stream turbulence on a flat plate with a blunt leading edge. The Reynolds number based on the inlet free stream velocity and the plate thickness is 6500. A dynamic subgrid‐scale model is employed to compute the subgrid‐scale stresses more accurately in the current transitional flow case. Flow visualization has shown that the Kelvin–Helmholtz rolls, which have been so clearly visible under no free‐stream turbulence (NFST) are not as apparent in the present study. The Lambda‐shaped vortical structures which can be clearly seen in the NFST case can hardly be identified in the free‐stream turbulence (FST) case. Generally speaking, the effects of free‐stream turbulence have led to an early breakdown of the boundary layer, and hence increased the randomization in the vortical structures, degraded the spanwise coherence of those large‐scale structures. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Particle image velocimetry measurements of a shock wave/turbulent boundary layer interaction

Particle image velocimetry is used to investigate the interaction between an incident shock wave and a turbulent boundary layer at Mach 2.1. A particle response assessment establishes the fidelity of the tracer particles. The undisturbed boundary layer is characterized in detail. The mean velocity field of the interaction shows the incident and reflected shock wave pattern, as well as the boundary layer distortion. Significant reversed flow is measured instantaneously, although, on average no reversed flow is observed. The interaction instantaneously exhibits a multi-layered structure, namely, a high-velocity outer region and a low-velocity inner region. Flow turbulence shows the highest intensity in the region beneath the impingement of the incident shock wave. The turbulent fluctuations are found to be highly anisotropic, with the streamwise component dominating. A distinct streamwise-oriented region of relatively large kinematic Reynolds shear stress magnitude appears within the lower half of the redeveloping boundary layer. Boundary layer recovery towards initial equilibrium conditions appears to be a gradual process.     

Study of a Mixing Layer Formed by a Supersonic Main Stream of Air and a Co-Flowing Supersonic Helium Jet

The development of large-scale organised motions in a compressible mixing layer is studied experimentally using holographic interferometry, pressure and turbulence measurements. The mixing layer was formed behind the base of a parallel strut with a Mach 2 air main stream and a co-flowing two-dimensional slot jet (aspect ratio = 45) of helium at a Mach number of 1.2. The mixing layer exhibited highly organised vortical structures which were elongated and inclined approximately 45–50° to the flow direction. The mixing layer showed a linear growth and the mean velocity data indicated self-similar behaviour at sufficiently downstream distances. The results have shown that the thickness of the primary boundary layer has a strong influence on the growth and structure of the mixing layer. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Statistical laws of the pressure fluctuations in a hypersonic turbulent boundary layer

The results of measuring the pressure fluctuations on the wall of the nozzle of a hypersonic wind tunnel beneath a developed turbulent boundary layer are presented for the Mach number M_∞ = 7.5. On the basis of a statistical analysis, it is shown that the action of the turbulent flow is dynamically similar to the propagation of a random sequence of wave packets with continuously distributed temporal and spatial scales. Low-frequency disturbances are associated with large-scale structures of long duration that propagate at a mean-statistical velocity similar in value to the outer flow velocity. The continuous generation of weakly-correlated small-scale disturbances ensuring the maintenance and development of turbulence occurs chiefly in the inner region of the boundary layer. Spectral estimates of the power generated by the turbulent flow in the wall region of the boundary layer are presented.     

Large eddy simulation of temporally developing juncture flows

Large eddy simulation (LES) results are reported for temporally developing solid–solid and solid–rigid-lid juncture flows. A MacCormack-type scheme that is second-order in time, and fourth-order in space for the convective terms and second-order in space for the viscous terms, is used. The simulations are obtained for a low subsonic Mach number. The subgrid-scale stresses (SGS) are modeled using the dynamic modeling procedure. The turbulent flow field generated on a flat-plate boundary layer is used to initialize the juncture flow simulations. The results of the flat-plate boundary layer simulations are validated with experimental and direct numerical simulations (DNS) data. In juncture flow simulations, the presence of an adjacent solid-wall/rigid-lid boundary altered the mean and the turbulent field, setting up gradients in the anisotropy of normal Reynolds stresses resulting in the formation of turbulence-induced secondary vortices. The relative size of these secondary vortices and the distribution of mean and turbulent quantities are in qualitative agreement with the experimental observations for the solid–solid juncture. The overall distribution of the mean and turbulence quantities showed close resemblance between the solid–solid and the solid–rigid-lid junctures; except for the absence of a second vortical region near the rigid-lid boundary. In agreement with the experimental observations, it was found that the normalized anisotropy term exhibited similarity when plotted against the distance from the boundary, regardless of the type of boundary, i.e. solid-wall or rigid-lid. The turbulent kinetic energy increased near the rigid-lid boundary. While the surface normal velocity fluctuations decreased to zero at the rigid-lid boundary, the other two velocity components showed an increase in their energy, which is also consistent with the experimental observations. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Perspectives on the Phenomenology and Modeling of Boundary Layer Transition

The characteristics of the coherent structures in a strongly decelerated large-velocity-defect boundary layer are analysed by direct numerical simulation. The simulated boundary layer starts as a zero-pressure-gradient boundary layer, decelerates under a strong adverse pressure gradient, and separates near the end of the domain, in the form of a very thin separation bubble. The Reynolds number at separation is R e _?? =3912 and the shape factor H=3.43. The three-dimensional spatial correlations of (u, u) and (u, v) are investigated and compared to those of a zero-pressure-gradient boundary layer and another strongly decelerated boundary layer. These velocity pairs lose coherence in the streamwise and spanwise directions as the velocity defect increases. In the outer region, the shape of the correlations suggest that large-scale u structures are less streamwise elongated and more inclined with respect to the wall in large-defect boundary layers. The three-dimensional properties of sweeps and ejections are characterized for the first time in both the zero-pressure-gradient and adverse-pressure-gradient boundary layers, following the method of Lozano-Durán et al. (J. Fluid Mech. 694, 100–130, [2012]). Although longer sweeps and ejections are found in the zero-pressure-gradient boundary layer, with ejections reaching streamwise lengths of 5 boundary layer thicknesses, the sweeps and ejections tend to be bigger in the adverse-pressure-gradient boundary layer. Moreover, small near-wall sweeps and ejections are much less numerous in the large-defect boundary layer. Large sweeps and ejections that reach the wall region (wall-attached) are also less numerous, less streamwise elongated and they occupy less space than in the zero-pressure-gradient boundary layer.     

Reynolds number effects on a turbulent boundary layer with separation,reattachment, and recovery

The present paper addresses experimental studies of Reynolds number effects on a turbulent boundary layer with separation, reattachment, and recovery. A momentum thickness Reynolds number varies from 1,100 to 20,100 with a wind tunnel enclosed in a pressure vessel by varying the air density and wind tunnel speed. A custom-built, high-resolution laser Doppler anemometer provides fully resolved turbulence measurements over the full Reynolds number range. The experiments show that the mean flow is at most a very weak function of Reynolds number while turbulence quantities strongly depend on Reynolds number. Roller vortices are generated in the separated shear layer caused by the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability. Empirical Reynolds number scalings for the mean velocity and Reynolds stresses are proposed for the upstream boundary layer, the separated region, and the recovery region. The inflectional instability plays a critical role in the scaling in the separated region. The near-wall flow recovers quickly downstream of reattachment even if the outer layer is far from an equilibrium state. As a result, a stress equilibrium layer where a flat-plate boundary layer scaling is valid develops in the recovery region and grows outward moving downstream.     

Effects of surface mass transfer on unsteady mixed convection flow over a vertical cone with chemical reaction

The unsteady mixed convection boundary layer flow over a vertical cone is considered to investigate the combined effects of the buoyancy force, thermal and mass diffusion in the presence of the first order chemical reaction and surface mass transfer. The unsteadiness is caused by the time dependent free stream velocity varying arbitrarily with time. The governing boundary layer equations are transformed into a non-dimensional form by a group of non-similar transformations. The resulting system of coupled non-linear partial differential equations is solved numerically by the combination of quasi-linearization technique and an implicit finite difference scheme. Numerical computations are performed for different values of the parameters to display the velocity, temperature and concentration profiles graphically. Both accelerating and decelerating free stream velocities are considered. Numerical results are presented for the velocity, temperature and concentration profiles as well as for the skin-friction coefficient, local Nusselt number and local Sherwood number. The obtained results are compared with previously reported ones and are found to be in excellent agreement.