On the eddy viscosity model of periodic turbulent shear flows

Physical argument shows that eddy viscosity is essentially different from molecular viscosity. By direct numerical simulation, it was shown that for periodic turbulent flows, there is phase difference between Reynolds stress and rate of strain. This finding posed great challenge to turbulence modeling, because most turbulence modeling, which use the idea of eddy viscosity, do not take this effect into account. The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (19732005) and Liu Hui Center for Applied Mathematics of Nankai & Tianjin University     

Parametric data-based turbulence modelling for vortex dominated flows

Computational fluid dynamics simulations employing eddy-viscosity turbulence models remain the baseline numerical tool in the aerospace industry, mainly due to their numerical stability and computational efficiency. However, many industrially relevant cases require a level of accuracy that is not routinely achieved by global turbulence models. The simulation of leading-edge vortices shed at low aspect ratio wings is one such class of flows that remains a challenge for turbulence modelling. A local approach is proposed in which a parametrised eddy-viscosity turbulence model is calibrated using experimental results of configurations and flow conditions similar to the one being analysed. In this paper, the Spalart–Allmaras one-equation model is enhanced with additional source terms, which are exclusively active in the vortex field. An automatic optimisation procedure with experimental data as reference is then applied. The resulting optimised model improves the eddy viscosity distribution for a limited but relevant range of configurations and flow conditions.     

Ordering effects in shear flows of discotic polymers

The tensorial mechanical model of Farhoudi and Rey (1993) for uniaxial, rodlike, spatially homogeneous and monodomain nematics is modified to describe the microstructural response of discotic nematic network polymers in rectilinear simple shear flow. The particular topological features of the discotic phase are taken into account by a proper modification of the phenomenological parameters. Asymptotic and numerical solutions of the microstructural balance equations indicate the appearance of tumbling, oscillating, and stationary flow regimes as the strength of shear increases, as is the case for rod-like nematic polymers (Marrucci, 1991). The tumbling-oscillating transition is characterized by a diverging tumbling function , while the oscillating-stationary transition is characterized by a single steady value smaller than —1. The stable steady states of the stationary regime are shown to belong to the family of unstable isotropic solutions that exist at small shear rates, and are characterized by a director angle close to, but less than +90° to the flow direction.     

Coherent structures in countercurrent axisymmetric shear flows

The dynamical behaviors of coherent structures in countercurrent axisymmetric shear flows are experimentally studied.The forward velocity U1 and the velocity ratio R=(U1-U2)/(U1+U2),where U2 denotes the suction velocity,are consldered as the control parameters.Two kinds of vortex structures,i.e.,axisymmetric and helical structures,were discovered with respect to different reginmes in the R versus U1 diagram .In the case of U1 rangjing from 3 to 20m/s and R from 1 to 3,the axisymmetric structures plan an important role.Based on the dynamical behaviors of axisymmetric structures,a critical forward velocity U1cr=6.8m/s was defined,subsequently,the subcritical velocity regime:U1>U1cr and the supercritical velocity regime:U1<U1er,In the subcritical velocity regine,the flow system contains shear layer self-excited oscillations in a certain range of the velocity ratio with respect to any forward velocity.In the supercritical velocity regime,the effect of the velocity ratio could be explained by the relative movement and the spatial evolution of the axisymmetric structure undergoes the following stages:(1) Kelvin-Helmholtz instability leading to vortex rolling up,(2) first time vortex agglomeration.(3) jet colunn self-excited oscillation,(4) shear layer self-excited oscillation,(5)“ordered tearing“,(6) turbulence in the case of U1<4m/s (the “ordered tearing“ does not exist when U1>4m/s),correspondingly,the spatial evolution of the temporal asymptotic behavior of a dynamical system can be described as follows:(1) Hopt bifurcation,(5) chaos(“weak turbulence“)in the case of U1<4m/s(superharmonic bifurcation does not exist when U1>4m/s).The proposed new terms,superharmonic and reversed superbarmonic bifurcations,are characterized of the frequency doubling rather than the period doubling.A kind of unfamiliar vortices referred to as the helical structure was discovered experimentally when the forward velocity around 2m/s and the velocity range from 1.1 to 2.3,There are two base frequencies contained in the flow system and they could coexist as indicated by the Wigner-Ville-Distribution and the temporal asymptotic behavior of the dynamical system corresponding to the helical vortex could be described as 2-torus as indicted by the 3D reconstructed phase trajectory and correlation dimension.The scenario of the spatial evolution of helical structures could be described as follows:the jet column is separated into two parts at a certain spatial location and they entangle each other to form the helical vortex until the occurrence of those separated jet columns to reconnect further downstream with the result that the flow system evolves into turbulence in a catastrophic form.Correspondingly,the dynamical system evolves directly into 2-tiorus through the supercritical Hopf bifurcation followed by a transition from a quasi-periodic attractor to a strange attractor.In the case of U1=2m/s,the parametric evolution of the temporal asymptotic behavior of the dynamical system as the velocity ratio increases from 1 to 3 could be described as follows:(1)2-torus(Hopf bifurcation),(2) limit cycle(reversed Hopf bifurcation),(3) strange attractor (subbarmonic bifurcation).     

LES prediction of space-time correlations in turbulent shear flows

We compare the space-time correlations calculated from direct numerical simulation(DNS) and large-eddy simulation(LES) of turbulent channel flows.It is found from the comparisons that the LES with an eddy-viscosity subgrid scale(SGS) model over-predicts the space-time correlations than the DNS.The overpredictions are further quantified by the integral scales of directional correlations and convection velocities.A physical argument for the overprediction is provided that the eddy-viscosity SGS model alone does not includes the backscatter effects although it correctly represents the energy dissipations of SGS motions.This argument is confirmed by the recently developed elliptic model for space-time correlations in turbulent shear flows.It suggests that enstrophy is crucial to the LES prediction of spacetime correlations.The random forcing models and stochastic SGS models are proposed to overcome the overpredictions on space-time correlations.     

剪切湍流大尺度相干结构的模式研究

发展了一种计算剪切湍流大尺度相干结构的新模式．该模式的基础是认为大尺度相干结构为湍流场中流体脉动能量增长最快的那部分，且包含大部分的湍流脉动能量．在此基础上。通过对湍流相干能量方程的推演。建立了描述大尺度相干结构的特征控制方程，并应用Ｃｈｅｂｙｓｈｅｖ多项式方法求得湍流相干能量的最大增长率在波数空间的分布，从而获得对应的大尺度相干结构．应用该模式研究了槽流和一自然对流中的大尺度相干结构，得到的近壁区流动结构与实验现象十分接近．     

A Lagrangian vortex method for unbounded flows

A technique is presented for velocity calculations on the highly distorted node distributions typical of those found in Lagrangian vortex methods. The method solves the partial differential equation for streamfunction directly on the nodes, via a sparse, symmetric system of equations that can be solved using standard iterative solvers. When implemented in a triangulated vortex method, the technique gives computation times which scale as N^1.23, where N is the number of nodes. The computation scheme is derived for two‐dimensional problems and applied to the prediction of the evolution of perturbed multipolar vortices. Due to the numerical performance of the method, it has been possible to examine such evolution at higher and lower Reynolds numbers than have been considered in published numerical studies. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical simulation of shear effect on vortex shedding behind a square cylinder

This paper is concerned with the numerical simulation of the flow structure around a square cylinder in a uniform shear flow. The calculations were conducted by solving the unsteady 2D Navier–Stokes equations with a finite difference method. The effect of the shear parameter K of the approaching flow on the vortex-shedding Strouhal number and the force coefficients acting on the square cylinder is investigated in the range K=0·0–0·25 at various Reynolds numbers from 500 to 1500. The computational results are compared with some existing experimental data and previous studies. The effect of shear rate on the Strouhal number and the force acting on the cylinder has a tendency to reduce the oscillation. The Strouhal number, mean drag and amplitude of the fluctuating force tend to decrease as the shear rate increases, but show no significant change at low shear rate. Increasing the Reynolds number decreases the Strouhal number and increases the force acting on the cylinder. At high shear rate the shedding frequencies of the fluctuating drag and lift coefficients are identical. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Interaction of shear flows of an ideal incompressible fluid in a channel

The problem of the decay of an arbitrary discontinuity for the equations describing plane-parallel shear flows of an ideal fluid in a narrow channel is considered. The class of particular solutions corresponding to fluid flows with piecewise constant vorticity is studied. In this class, the existence of self-similar solutions describing all possible unsteady wave configurations resulting from the nonlinear interaction of the specified shear flows is established. __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 47, No. 6, pp. 34–47, November–December, 2006.     

Control of vortex shedding behind circular cylinder for flows at low Reynolds numbers

It has been observed by researchers in the past that vortex shedding behind circular cylinders can be altered, and in some cases suppressed, over a limited range of Reynolds numbers by proper placement of a second, much smaller, ‘control’ cylinder in the near wake of the main cylinder. Results are presented for numerical computations of some such situations. A stabilized finite element method is employed to solve the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations in the primitive variables formulation. At low Reynolds numbers, for certain relative positions of the main and control cylinder, the vortex shedding from the main cylinder is completely suppressed. Excellent agreement is observed between the present computations and experimental findings of other researchers. In an effort to explain the mechanism of control of vortex shedding, the streamwise variation of the pressure coefficient close to the shear layer of the main cylinder is compared for various cases, with and without the control cylinder. In the cases where the vortex shedding is suppressed, it is observed that the control cylinder provides a local favorable pressure gradient in the wake region, thereby stabilizing the shear layer locally. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analyzing the influence of compressibility on the rapid pressure–strain rate correlation in turbulent shear flows

The influence of compressibility on the rapid pressure–strain rate tensor is investigated using the Green’s function for the wave equation governing pressure fluctuations in compressible homogeneous shear flow. The solution for the Green’s function is obtained as a combination of parabolic cylinder functions; it is oscillatory with monotonically increasing frequency and decreasing amplitude at large times, and anisotropic in wave-vector space. The Green’s function depends explicitly on the turbulent Mach number M _t , given by the root mean square turbulent velocity fluctuations divided by the speed of sound, and the gradient Mach number M _g , which is the mean shear rate times the transverse integral scale of the turbulence divided by the speed of sound. Assuming a form for the temporal decorrelation of velocity fluctuations brought about by the turbulence, the rapid pressure–strain rate tensor is expressed exactly in terms of the energy (or Reynolds stress) spectrum tensor and the time integral of the Green’s function times a decaying exponential. A model for the energy spectrum tensor linear in Reynolds stress anisotropies and in mean shear is assumed for closure. The expression for the rapid pressure–strain correlation is evaluated using parameters applicable to a mixing layer and a boundary layer. It is found that for the same range of M _t there is a large reduction of the pressure–strain correlation in the mixing layer but not in the boundary layer. Implications for compressible turbulence modeling are also explored.      

Combined shear/compression structural testing of asymmetric sandwich structures

Asymmetric sandwich technology can be applied in the design of lightweight, non-pressurized aeronautical structures such as those of helicopters. A test rig of asymmetric sandwich structures subjected to compression/shear loads was designed, validated, and set up. It conforms to the standard certification procedure for composite aeronautical structures set out in the “test pyramid”, a multiscale approach. The static tests until failure showed asymmetric sandwich structures to be extremely resistant, which, in the case of the tested specimen shape, were characterized by the absence of buckling and failure compressive strains up to 10,000 μ strains. Specimens impacted with perforation damage were also tested, enabling the original phenomenon of crack propagation to be observed step-by-step. The results of the completed tests thus enable the concept to be validated, and justify the possibility of creating a much larger machine to overcome the drawbacks linked to the use of small specimens.     

Theory of stability of rotating shear flows

The stability of rotating horizontal-shear flows is investigated within the framework of the linear approximation. The shear flow perturbations are divided into three classes (symmetric and two- and three-dimensional) and sufficient conditions of stability are obtained for each class. The perturbation dynamics in a flow with constant horizontal shear are described and the algebraic instability of the flow with respect to three-dimensional perturbations is detected. It is shown that the symmetric perturbations may be localized (trapped) inside the shear layer. The problem of finding the growth rates and frequencies of the trapped waves is reduced to a quantum-mechanical Schrödinger equation. Exact solutions are obtained for a “triangular” jet and hyperbolic shear.     

On variational features of vortex flows

Ideal incompressible fluid is a Hamiltonian system which possesses an infinite number of integrals, the circulations of velocity over closed fluid contours. This allows one to split all the degrees of freedom into the driving ones and the “slave” ones, the latter to be determined by the integrals of motions. The “slave” degrees of freedom correspond to “potential part” of motion, which is driven by vorticity. Elimination of the “slave” degrees of freedom from equations of ideal incompressible fluid yields a closed system of equations for dynamics of vortex lines. This system is also Hamiltonian. The variational principle for this system was found recently (Berdichevsky in Thermodynamics of chaos and order, Addison-Wesly-Longman, Reading, 1997; Kuznetsov and Ruban in JETP Lett 67, 1076–1081, 1998). It looks striking, however. In particular, the fluid motion is set to be compressible, while in the least action principle of fluid mechanics the incompressibility of motion is a built-in property. This striking feature is explained in the paper, and a link between the variational principle of vortex line dynamics and the least action principle is established. Other points made in this paper are concerned with steady motions. Two new variational principles are proposed for steady vortex flows. Their relation to Arnold’s variational principle of steady vortex motion is discussed.      

Vortex structures in shear flows

Large-scale vortex structures in shear flows are investigated. An effective method of describing these objects, which makes it possible to go beyond the framework of weak nonlinearity, is proposed. This is especially important in investigating spatially isolated structures. Evolution-type equations describing the shape of the vortex structures are obtained and their steady-state solutions are examined. A detailed classification of the structures in two-dimensional and cylindrical channels is given. Attention is drawn to the qualitative similarity of some of these structures to the well-known structures in real turbulent flows (wall eddies, turbulent slugs). It is established that isolated vortex structures in a pipe whose radius is fairly large as compared with their transverse dimension have kinematic characteristics similar to those of Hill vortices. The prospects of the method are discussed.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 2, pp. 65–75, March–April, 1989.The author wishes to thank G. S. Golitsyn for his interest and G. I. Barenblatt and V. M. Gryanik for discussing the results and offering useful advice.     

Newtonian drop in a Newtonian matrix subjected to large amplitude oscillatory shear flows

The dynamics of a single Newtonian drop immersed in a Newtonian matrix subjected to large-amplitude oscillatory shear flow is investigated. The ratio of the drop and matrix viscosity is above criticality, and thus break-up is absent under constant shear flow. At small forcing amplitudes the drop shape follows a regular oscillation. As the forcing amplitude increases, multipeaked oscillations of drop shape and orientation are observed. Experimental results are compared with predictions obtained with a phenomenological model. Model predictions are in qualitative good agreement with experimental data. The model suggests that the appearance of higher harmonics in the drop response is mainly due to flow nonaffinity.     

Simulation of the aerodynamics of buildings and structures by means of the closed vortex loop method

Problems of the numerical simulation of the air flow past buildings and structures are considered using the closed vortex loop method. A mathematical model, based on the vortex approach, of the time-dependent ideal incompressible fluid flow past a system of bodies is proposed. A numerical scheme for solving the problem and an algorithm for calculating the distributed wind loads over the body surface are outlined. An example of calculating the aerodynamic loads is given for a real building and the results are compared with the known results of testing a model of the building in a wind tunnel. An example of the calculation and analysis of the wind distribution over a system of several buildings is also presented.     

Comparing vortex methods and finite difference methods in a homogeneous turbulent shear flow

The vortex method is applied to the calculation of a homogeneous shear turbulence, and compared with a finite difference code using identical calculation conditions. The core spreading method with spatial adaptation is selected as the viscous diffusion scheme of the vortex method. The shear rate is chosen so that it matches the maximum value observed in a fully developed channel flow. The isosurface, anisotropy tensors, and joint probability density functions reflect the ability of the present vortex method to quantitatively reproduce the anisotropic nature of strongly sheared turbulence, both instantaneously and statistically. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.