A quasi-similarity analysis of the turbulent boundary layer on a flat plate

The partial differential equation of the boundary layer on a flat plate are simplified by using the universal variables for turbulent flow. For laminar flow this gives boundary layer having a finite thickness and a friction coefficient differing by a few percent from the Blasius value. For a turbulent flow a differential equation for the velocity distribution is obtained with a parameter which varies slowly with the streamwise coordinate. The numerical value of this parameter is determined as an eigenvalue of the differential equations giving a velocity profile which evolves as the boundary layer thickens. Numerical calculations using a simple eddy viscosity model gave results in very good agreement with experiment.     

Effect of glow discharge on hypersonic flat plate boundary layer

Glow discharge is introduced as an artificial disturbance to investigate the evolution of first-and second-mode instabilities in a hypersonic flat plate boundary layer.Experiments are conducted in a Mach 6.5 quiet wind tunnel using Rayleigh scattering visualization and particle image velocimetry(PIV). Detailed analysis of the experimental observations is provided. It is found that the artificially introduced 17 kHz disturbance,which belongs to the first-mode frequency band, can effectively enhance first-mode waves.Moreover, it can enhance second-mode waves even more intensely. Possible mechanisms to explain this phenomenon are discussed.     

Motion of a suspension in the laminar boundary layer on a flat plate

The boundary layer motion of a weak suspension is investigated with allowance for the effect on the particles not only of the Stokes force but also of the additional transverse force resulting from the transverse nonuniformity of the flow over the individual particle. As distinct from studies [1–3], in which the limiting values of the transverse force (Saffman force) were used [4], the velocity and density of the dispersed phase have been determined with allowance for the dependence of the Saffman force on the ratio of the Reynolds numbers calculated from the velocity of the flow over the individual particle and the transverse velocity gradient of the undisturbed flow, respectively [5, 6].Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 1, pp. 66–73, January–February, 1992.In conclusion the authors wishes to thank M. N. Kogan, N. K. Makashev, and A. Yu. Boris for useful discussions of the results.     

Coherent structures in the boundary layer of a flat thick plate

We use POD and EPOD (extended POD) analysis to extract the main features of the flow over a thick flat plate simulated with an LES. Our goal is to better understand the coupling between the velocity field and the surface pressure field. We find that POD modes based on the full velocity and energy fields contain both flapping and shedding frequencies. Pressure modes are found to be uniform in the spanwise direction and the most intense variations take place at the mean reattachment point. Velocity modes educed from the pressure modes with EPOD are seen to correspond to eddies shed by the recirculation bubble.     

Surface-attaching probabilities for particles in a turbulent flat plate boundary layer

Measurements of the positional variation of surface-attaching probabilities for 6.77μ uncharged monodisperse uranine aerosol particles on a stainless steel plate are presented for a turbulent flat plate boundary layer. The results presented include results for conditions in which the attaching probability is unity and less than unity. It was found that the variation of the attaching probability was invariant with position once the boundary layer became fully turbulent.     

Leading edge shape for flat plate boundary layer studies

Summary In experimental boundary layer studies, a flat plate with some shaped nose piece is generally used; this is often prone to flow separation at the junction. By analysing the development of a laminar boundary layer on a two-parameter family of nose shapes, it is found that a cubic super-ellipse of axis ratio 6 or higher is a reasonable optimum shape for avoiding separation on or due to such nose-pieces.     

Interaction between longitudinal vortices and flat plate boundary layer

The interaction between longitudinal vortices and flat plate boundary layer has been studied numerically for both laminar and turbulent flow situations. The vortices are assumed to be placed in an otherwise two-dimensional boundary layer flow. The flow is assumed to be incompressible and steady. Considering the fact that the velocity, vorticity and temperature gradients in the transverse directions are much larger than the longitudinal (streamwise) gradients for these flows, the original Navier Stokes equations are parabolized in the streamwise direction. A simple model, based on Boussinesq hypothesis, is used for turbulent flow. The discretized equations are then solved step by step in the streamwise direction, using an iterative procedure at each station. Numerical solutions have been obtained for different parameters, such as the Reynolds number, the circulation and the initial position of the vortices. The computed flow patterns and the skin friction coefficient and Stanton number are found to be qualitatively consistent with available experimental results. It is shown that the interaction between the vortices and the boundary layer may severely disturb the boundary layer flow field and thus considerably increase the local skin friction and heat transfer rate on surface of an aircraft.     

Resonant interactions of Tollmien-Schlichting waves in the boundary layer on a flat plate

Resonant interaction phenomena of Tollmien-Schlichting waves (T.-S. waves) are examined experimentally by spectral analysis method. Results demonstrate that, in the spectra measured in the vicinity of the critical layer of the unstable boundary layer, the energy of T.-S. waves concentrates in a narrow band of frequency with one to three peaks in the power spectra corresponding to the eigenfrequencies of T.-S. waves and the frequency with maximum growth rate located between the upper and lower branches of the neutral curve. The resonant interactions transfer the energy of these eigencomponents to their subsequent subharmonics in a range ofR _δ* where their growth rates increase from zero to a maximum value, and the boundary layer becomes turbulent after the third resonant interaction.     

Mixed convection boundary layer flow on a continuous flat plate with variable viscosity

The influences of variable viscosity and buoyancy force on laminar boundary layer flow and heat transfer due to a continuous flat plate are examined. The deviation of the velocity and temperature fields as well as of the skin friction and heat transfer results from their constant values are determined by means of similarity solutions.     

An experimental research on the instability of natural convection boundary layer around a vertical heated flat plate

Experimental results on the instability of the isothermal naturalconvection boundary layer around a vertical heated flat plate are presented. It is demonstrated that the characteristics of the instability wave in the outer layer is consistent with the calculation of Brewster & Gebhart. After an initial growth of its low frequency components at the downstream side of the turning point of the neutral curve (Gr≈120) its comparatively higher frequency components develop and become turbulent subsequently with a buoyancy subrange in its power spectra. Simultaneously, in the measurement at the inner layer near the wall a viscous instability signal the same as the Tollmien-Schlichting waves in ordinary boundary layer and its subharmonics in a much higher frequency domain is discovered and an inertial subrange can be observed in the spectra atGr≈378.6. The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (19572004)     

Structure of the laminar boundary layer of a disperse medium on a flat plate

A study is made of the stationary flow over a semi-infinite flat plate of a two-phase medium consisting of solid particles and a gas, which has a low viscosity. The aim of the paper is to investigate the influence of a difference between the velocities of the phases on the structure of the flow in the boundary layer.Translated from Izvestiya Akademil Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 4, pp. 43–54, July–August, 1980.I thank V. P. Stulov for interest in the work and helpful recommendations.     

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.     

Numerical prediction of turbulent boundary layer noise from a sharp-edged flat plate

An efficient hybrid uncorrelated wall plane waves–boundary element method (UWPW-BEM) technique is proposed to predict the flow-induced noise from a structure in low Mach number turbulent flow. Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations are used to estimate the turbulent boundary layer parameters such as convective velocity, boundary layer thickness, and wall shear stress over the surface of the structure. The spectrum of the wall pressure fluctuations is evaluated from the turbulent boundary layer parameters and by using semi-empirical models from literature. The wall pressure field underneath the turbulent boundary layer is synthesized by realizations of uncorrelated wall plane waves (UWPW). An acoustic BEM solver is then employed to compute the acoustic pressure scattered by the structure from the synthesized wall pressure field. Finally, the acoustic response of the structure in turbulent flow is obtained as an ensemble average of the acoustic pressures due to all realizations of uncorrelated plane waves. To demonstrate the hybrid UWPW-BEM approach, the self-noise generated by a flat plate in turbulent flow with Reynolds number based on chord Re_c = 4.9 × 10⁵ is predicted. The results are compared with those obtained from a large eddy simulation (LES)-BEM technique as well as with experimental data from literature.     

Turbulent heat transfer in a flat plate boundary layer disturbed by a cylinder

Augmentation of heat transfer from a flat plate using a turbulence promoter has been studied. A circular cylinder 8 mm in diameter was placed in the turbulent boundary layer detached from the flat plate. It was located parallel to the plate and perpendicular to the flow direction. Clearance, c, between the cylinder and the flat plate was varied in nine steps: c=0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 11, 20 and 29.5 mm. Measurements were made of the local heat transfer coefficients, mean velocity profiles, turbulence intensity profiles, static pressure and skin friction. Experimental results showed that the heat transfer deterioration which occurs just downstream of the cylinder at c=0 mm can be removed by displacing the cylinder a small distance from the wall. The improvement in heat transfer is mainly due to the unsteadiness of the recirculating flow on the plate and the effect of intense turbulence arriving at the near wall region from the lower shear layer of the cylinder wake. Heat transfer augmentation is most effective when c=4 mm and becomes less effective when c is increased more than 6 mm. The enhancement disappears far downstream from the cylinder.     

Receptivity of a flat plate boundary layer to a free stream axial vortex

A single free stream axial vortex of controlled strength and position was used to investigate a vortical receptivity of Blasius boundary layer. Excited boundary-layer disturbances were dominated by streamwise velocity perturbations, that grew downstream essentially linearly with the streamwise coordinate. It was shown that the disturbance characteristics are in agreement with data of previous experiments performed under natural and control conditions concerning the ‘by-pass’ transition initiated at high free stream disturbance levels. It was proved that the role of the leading edge in the receptivity process and disturbance growth under consideration is not dominant.