A new skin friction balance and selected measurements

A new skin friction balance with moving belt has been developed for measurement of the surface shear stress component in the direction of belt motion. The device is described in this paper with typical measurement results. This instrument is symmetric in design with small moving mass and negligible internal friction. It is 3.8 cm high, 3.8 cm long and 2.1 cm wide, with the sensing surface 0.7 cm wide and 1.5 cm long, and it can be made in various sizes. The unique design of this instrument has reduced some of the errors associated with conventional floating-element balances. The instrument can use various sensing systems and the ouput signal is a linear function of the wall shear stress. Measurements show good agreement with data obtained by the floating element balances and flat plate prediction techniques. Dynamic measurements have been made in a limited range. The overall uncertainty of measurement is estimated to be ±2%.     

Evaluation of flush mounted hot-film sensors for skin friction reduction measurements in viscoelastic polymer solutions

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the performance of flush mounted hot-film sensors for mean wall shear stress measurement in turbulent flows of dilute drag reducing polymer solution. A series of pipe flow expriments were conducted over a range of Reynolds numbers and polymer solution concentrations to compare the level of skin friction drag reduction measured by hot-film sensors with values calculated from pipe pressure drop. It is shown that water calibrated hot-film sensors consistently underestimate the wall shear stress suggesting that Reynolds analogy is not valid in dilute polymer solutions. The Newtonian form of the relationship between the wall shear stress and the heat transfer remains valid in dilute polymer solutions. However, multiplicative and additive factors in the relationship are shown to increase linearly with the logarithm of the polymer concentration.     

Determination of skin friction in strong pressure-gradient equilibrium and near-equilibrium turbulent boundary layers

The conventional Clauser-chart method for determination of local skin friction in zero or weak pressure-gradient turbulent boundary layer flows fails entirely in strong pressure-gradient situations. This failure occurs due to the large departure of the mean velocity profile from the universal logarithmic law upon which the conventional Clauser-chart method is based. It is possible to extend this method, even for strong pressure-gradient situations involving equilibrium or near-equilibrium turbulent boundary layers by making use of the so-called non-universal logarithmic laws. These non-universal log laws depend on the local strength of the pressure gradient and may be regarded as perturbations of the universal log law. The present paper shows that the modified Clauser-chart method, so developed, yields quite satisfactory results in terms of estimation of local skin friction in strongly accelerated or retarded equilibrium and near-equilibrium turbulent boundary layers that are not very close to relaminarization or separation.     

Planar velocity measurements of a two-dimensional compressible wake

The present study describes the application of particle image velocimetry (PIV) to investigate the compressible flow in the wake of a two-dimensional blunt base at a freestream Mach number M_X=2. The first part of the study addresses specific issues related to the application of PIV to supersonic wind tunnel flows, such as the seeding particle flow-tracing fidelity and the measurement spatial resolution. The seeding particle response is assessed through a planar oblique shock wave experiment. The measurement spatial resolution is enhanced by means of an advanced image-interrogation algorithm. In the second part, the experimental results are presented. The PIV measurements yield the spatial distribution of mean velocity and turbulence. The mean velocity distribution clearly reveals the main flow features such as expansion fans, separated shear layers, flow recirculation, reattachment, recompression and wake development. The turbulence distribution shows the growth of turbulent fluctuations in the separated shear layers up to the reattachment location. Increased velocity fluctuations are also present downstream of reattachment outside of the wake due to unsteady flow reattachment and recompression. The instantaneous velocity field is analyzed seeking coherent flow structures in the redeveloping wake. The instantaneous planar velocity and vorticity measurements return evidence of large-scale turbulent structures detected as spatially coherent vorticity fluctuations. The velocity pattern consistently shows large masses of fluid in vortical motion. The overall instantaneous wake flow is organized as a double row of counter-rotating structures. The single structures show vorticity contours of roughly elliptical shape in agreement with previous studies based on spatial correlation of planar light scattering. Peak vorticity is found to be five times higher than the mean vorticity value, suggesting that wake turbulence is dominated by the activity of large-scale structures. The unsteady behavior of the reattachment phenomenon is studied. Based on the instantaneous flow topology, the reattachment is observed to fluctuate mostly in the streamwise direction suggesting that the unsteady separation is dominated by a pumping-like motion.     

Flowfield measurements in the wake of a robotic lamprey

Experiments are reported on the hydrodynamics of a swimming robotic lamprey under conditions of steady swimming and where the thrust exceeds the drag. The motion of the robot was based on the swimming of live lampreys, which is described by an equation similar to that developed for the American eel by Tytell and Lauder (J Exp Biol 207:1825–1841, 2004). For steady swimming, the wake structure closely resembles that of the American eel, where two pairs of same sign vortices are shed each tail beat cycle, giving the wake a 2P structure. Force estimates suggest that the major part of the thrust is produced at or close to the end of the tail.     

Surface shear stress measurements around multiple jets in crossflow using the fringe imaging skin friction technique

The skin friction distribution around multiple jets in crossflow determined using the fringe imaging skin friction (FISF) technique is examined experimentally for two supply channel configurations. The velocity field associated with the jets is correlated to the skin friction distribution. A counterflow supply channel configuration has a pronounced skin friction deficit downstream of the injection holes caused by the lifting of fluid away from the wall by the counterrotating vortex pair (CRVP). In the counterflow case, the CRVP remains closer to the wall than in the coflow case. A potential flow analysis of a pair of counterrotating vortices above a wall demonstrates that the distance of the CRVP from the wall has a greater effect on the wall pressure distribution, and hence the separation phenomena, than does the strength of the vortices.Nomenclature a Distance between vortices in Y direction (potential flow analysis) - b Distance between vortices in Z direction (potential flow analysis) - C _f Skin friction coefficient - D Hole diameter - L/D Hole length-to-diameter ratio - M Momentum (blowing) ratio=jet momentum/free stream momentum - n _O Oil index of refraction - p Static pressure - P/D Spanwise spacing of injection-hole-to-diameter ratio - q Dynamic head=1/2U ² - Re Reynolds number based on momentum thickness - s Fringe spacing - t Time - v, w Wall-normal and spanwise velocity components - X Streamwise distance downstream from hole centerline - Y Height from test section floor - Z Spanwise distance from hole centerline - U Free stream velocity - Wavelength of incident radiation - _O Oil dynamic viscosity - Air density - _w Wall shear stress - _r Angle of incidence of illumination for FISF - ₀ Initial boundary layer momentum thickness Acronyms CRVP Counterrotating vortex pair - FISF Fringe imaging skin friction - SFD Skin friction deficit     

PIV measurements of the wake behind a rotationally oscillating circular cylinder

The near-wake behind a circular cylinder undergoing rotational oscillatory motion with a relatively high forcing frequency has been investigated experimentally. Experiments were carried out varying the ratio of the forcing frequency f_f to the natural vortex shedding frequency f_n in the range of 0.0 (stationary) to 1.6 at an oscillation amplitude of θ_A=30° and Reynolds number of Re=4.14×10³. Depending on the frequency ratio (F_R=f_f /f_n), the near-wake flow could be divided into three regimes—non-lock-on (F_R=0.4), transition (F_R=0.8, 1.6) and lock-on (F_R=1.0) regimes—with markedly different flow structures. When the frequency ratio was less than 1.0 (F_R⩽1.0), the rotational oscillatory motion of the cylinder decreased the length of the vortex formation region and enhanced the mutual interaction between large-scale vortices across the wake centerline. The entrainment of ambient fluid seemed to play an important role in controlling the near-wake flow and shear-layer instability. In addition, strong vortex motion was observed throughout the near-wake region. The flow characteristics changed markedly beyond the lock-on flow regime (F_R=1.0) due to the high frequency forcing. At F_R=1.6, the high frequency forcing decreased the size of the large-scale vortices by suppressing the lateral extent of the wake. In addition, the interactions between the vortices shed from both sides of the cylinder were not so strong at this forcing frequency. As a consequence, the flow entrainment and momentum transfer into the wake center region were reduced. The turbulent kinetic energy was large in the region near the edge of the recirculation region, where the vortices shed from both sides of the cylinder cross the wake centerline for all frequency ratios except for the case of F_R=1.6. The temporally resolved quantitative flow information extracted in the present work is useful for understanding the effects of open-loop active flow control on the near-wake flow structure.     

Determination of the parameters of the far turbulent wake

The axisymmetric far turbulent wake in a perfect gas is considered. An integral method of computing both the first moments of the hydrodynamic fields and the turbulence intensity and the root-mean-square values of the enthalpy pulsations is proposed in Section 1. (The whole system of equations is closed by using semiempirical hypotheses.) Under the assumption of no inviscid gradients, an approximate analytical solution of the problem is obtained in Section 2, and asymptotic expressions (as x) are presented for all the designated quantities. Numerical values of the experimental constants are estimated in Section 3 by comparing the computation with known experimental results.Leningrad. Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR. Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 6, pp. 32–40, November–December, 1972.     

PIV measurements of the asymmetric wake of a two dimensional heaving hydrofoil

Particle image velocimetry is used to examine the flow behind a two-dimensional heaving hydrofoil of NACA 0012 cross section, operating with heave amplitude to chord ratio of 0.215 at Strouhal numbers between 0.174 and 0.781 and a Reynolds number of 2,700. The measurements show that for Strouhal numbers larger than 0.434, the wake becomes deflected such that the average velocity profile is asymmetric about the mean heave position of the hydrofoil. The deflection angle of the wake, which is related to the average lift and drag on the hydrofoil, is found to lie between 13° and 18°. An examination of the swirl strength of the vortices generated by the hydrofoil motion reveal that the strongest vortices, which are created at the higher Strouhal numbers, dissipate most rapidly. This research article was submitted for the special issue on Animal locomotion: The hydrodynamics of swimming (Vol. 43, No. 5).     

Three-component velocity field measurements of propeller wake using a stereoscopic PIV technique

A stereoscopic PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) technique was used to measure the three-dimensional flow structure of the turbulent wake behind a marine propeller with five blades. The out-of-plane velocity component was determined using two CCD cameras with an angular displacement configuration. Four hundred instantaneous velocity fields were measured for each of four different blade phases, and ensemble averaged in order to find the spatial evolution of the propeller wake in the region from the trailing edge up to one propeller diameter (D) downstream. The influence of propeller loading conditions on the wake structure was also investigated by measuring the velocity fields at three advance ratios (J=0.59, 0.72 and 0.88). The phase-averaged velocity fields revealed that a viscous wake formed by the boundary layers developed along the blade surfaces. Tip vortices were generated periodically and the slipstream contracted in the near-wake region. The out-of-plane velocity component and strain rate had large values at the locations of the tip and trailing vortices. As the flow moved downstream, the turbulence intensity, the strength of the tip vortices, and the magnitude of the out-of-plane velocity component at trailing vortices all decreased due to effects such as viscous dissipation, turbulence diffusion, and blade-to-blade interaction.     

Determination of molar mass polydispersity index from dynamic rheological measurements

The polydispersity of the molar mass of a material influences the behaviour of its dynamic rheological propertiesG () andG (). This is exemplified by the deviation from unity of the indexI = [2 – (d logG/d log)]/[1 – (d logG/d log)] in the terminal zone, i.e. at low frequencies. For a normal logarithmic distribution of species, a quantitative correlation may be established between the rheological properties and the parameter that is characteristic of the polydispersity for these species. This correlation can, in certain cases, be drawn from measurements in just the terminal zone or it may require measurements both in the terminal zone and at the beginning of the plateau zone. In each case, the parameter of dispersion can be determined by simple graphical or numerical methods. Finally, an example of the application of these methods to entangled liquid polymers is presented.     

Determination of real-time predictors of the wind turbine wake meandering

The present work proposes an experimental methodology to characterize the unsteady properties of a wind turbine wake, called meandering, and particularly its ability to follow the large-scale motions induced by large turbulent eddies contained in the approach flow. The measurements were made in an atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnel. The wind turbine model is based on the actuator disc concept. One part of the work has been dedicated to the development of a methodology for horizontal wake tracking by mean of a transverse hot wire rake, whose dynamic response is adequate for spectral analysis. Spectral coherence analysis shows that the horizontal position of the wake correlates well with the upstream transverse velocity, especially for wavelength larger than three times the diameter of the disc but less so for smaller scales. Therefore, it is concluded that the wake is actually a rather passive tracer of the large surrounding turbulent structures. The influence of the rotor size and downstream distance on the wake meandering is studied. The fluctuations of the lateral force and the yawing torque affecting the wind turbine model are also measured and correlated with the wake meandering. Two approach flow configurations are then tested: an undisturbed incoming flow (modelled atmospheric boundary layer) and a disturbed incoming flow, with a wind turbine model located upstream. Results showed that the meandering process is amplified by the presence of the upstream wake. It is shown that the coherence between the lateral force fluctuations and the horizontal wake position is significant up to length scales larger than twice the wind turbine model diameter. This leads to the conclusion that the lateral force is a better candidate than the upstream transverse velocity to predict in real time the meandering process, for either undisturbed (wake free) or disturbed incoming atmospheric flows.     

2D temperature measurements in the wake of a heated cylinder using LIF

A technique is described to measure the instantaneous 2D temperature distribution in the wake of a heated cylinder using `laser-induced fluorescence'. Rhodamine B, a fluorescent dye, is used as a temperature indicator. The relation between fluorescence intensity and temperature is determined by means of calibration experiments in the temperature range of 20–35 °C with an accuracy of ±0.1 °C. The temperature distribution behind the heated cylinder is well visible and can be measured with a high spatial resolution. Corrections for variation in laser energy and intensity distribution in the laser sheet have to be made to further improve the accuracy of the measuring method. Received: 3 January 2001/Accepted: 18 May 2001     

Comparison of velocity and temperature measurements with simulations in a hypersonic wake flow

A hypersonic shock-tunnel flow around an axisymmetric model of a planetary entry probe is analyzed. Planar laser-induced fluorescence is applied to measure both the velocity and the rotational temperature everywhere in the central plane of the flow field. The experimental test case is compared to simulations using the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method. While the Mach 9.7 flow at a freestream Reynolds number based on the model diameter of 35,000 is chemically frozen, effects of thermal non-equilibrium and localized rarefaction cannot be neglected. DSMC and measurements agree well within the outer wake, but disagree close to the centerline, where in particular the measured velocity is higher than values predicted by the simulations. The experimental results indicated a shorter recirculation region and increased local fluctuations in the free shear layer upstream of the wake recompression shock when compared to the simulation. These effects are attributed to incipient transition, which is not observed in the simulations, as the simulations did not model the effects of freestream fluctuations. Furthermore, measured and simulated vorticities are compared with theoretical predictions.     

Turbulent kinetic energy balance measurements in the wake of a low-pressure turbine blade

The turbulent kinetic energy budget in the wake generated by a high lift, low-pressure two-dimensional blade cascade of the T106 profile was investigated experimentally using hot-wire anemometry. The purpose of this study is to examine the transport mechanism of the turbulent kinetic energy and provide validation data for turbulence modeling. Point measurements were conducted on a high spatial resolution, two-dimensional grid that allowed precise derivative calculations. Positioning of the probe was achieved using a high accuracy traversing mechanism. The turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) convection, production, viscous diffusion and turbulent diffusion were all obtained directly from experimental measurements. Dissipation and pressure diffusion were calculated indirectly using techniques presented and validated by previous investigators. Results for all terms of the turbulent kinetic energy budget are presented and discussed in detail in the present work.     

A nonintrusive laser interferometer method for measurement of skin friction

A method is described for monitoring the changing thickness of a thin oil film subject to an aerodynamic shear stress using two focused laser beams. The measurement is then simply analyzed in terms of the surface skin friction of the flow. The analysis includes the effects of arbitrarily large pressure and skinfriction gradients, gravity, and time-varying oil temperature. It may also be applied to three-dimensional flows with unknown direction. Applications are presented for a variety of flows including two-dimensional flows, three-dimensional swirling flows, separated flows, supersonic high-Reynolds-number flows, and delta-wing vortical flows.     

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.     

“Analysis of the propeller wake evolution by pressure and velocity phase measurements”

In the present study an experimental analysis of the velocity and pressure fields behind a marine propeller, in non-cavitating regime is reported. Particle image velocimetry measurements were performed in phase with the propeller angle, to investigate the evolution of the axial and the radial velocity components, from the blade trailing edge up to two diameters downstream. In phase pressure measurements were performed at four radial and eight longitudinal positions downstream the propeller model at different advance ratios. Pressure data, processed by using slotting techniques, allowed reconstructing the evolution of the pressure field in phase with the reference blade position. In addition, the correlation of the velocity and pressure signals was performed. The analysis demonstrated that, within the near wake, the tip vortices passage is the most important contribution in generating the pressure field in the propeller flow. The incoming vortex breakdown process causes a strong deformation of the hub vortex far downstream of the slipstream contraction. This process contributes to the pressure generation at the shaft rate frequency.     

Determination of heat transfer coefficients in steam turbines

A method for the determination of heat transfer coefficients is described which is particularly suited for measurements inside steam turbine cylinders and buckets. The heat transfer coefficients are derived from the temperature frequency characteristics of the walls. Correlations are made between the time-dependent fluid temperature and the corresponding signal received by a detector just below the wall's surface. The natural stochastic temperature variation within a steam turbine can be used as test signal. Measurements in a 2 Megawatt steam turbine demonstrate, that the signal's power density is sufficiently high and the attenuation low within the important frequency range of 1/s ? ω? 10/s. The experimental verification of the method in a steam tunnel showed good results.