Investigation of a wake decay behind a circular disk in a hydro channel at high Reynolds numbers

LDA and PIV techniques were used to study the decay of an axisymmetrical turbulent wake originated downstream an immobile disk in a water flume for Reynolds numbers Re = 1.5?2.4?10⁵. Data were compared with experiments performed with a set of thermo-anemometers behind a disk in a wind tunnel at lower Reynolds numbers (Re = 1.3?2.6?10⁴). Observations for a new range of Reynolds number confirmed that the velocity distribution in the disk wake keeps self-similarity. The decay of a wake by the power law ?2/3 in the presented experiments remains until the maximum deficit of velocity becomes comparable with the turbulent pulsation level in the free-stream (less than 2 %).