Three-dimensional visualization of large structures in the turbulent boundary layer

 A new method of visualizing the coherent structures in the boundary layer is used to develop insight into how these structures form and to provide information on the relative frequency of typical shapes noticed in the near-wall flow. These results were achieved in a water channel using a recently developed tracer which remains as a moving dye streak while conforming to the convoluted motions in the boundary layer. The tracer is formulated from a surfactant–polymer–emulsion mixture which retains its capabilities as a marker of evolving flow motions in the boundary layer for a meter or more before eventually dispersing. Three-dimensional, continuous visualization of the structures can be obtained as they move along a flat plate. Photos and video frames demonstrate the evolution and properties of the most widely discussed boundary-layer structure, the Theodorsen (horseshoe) vortex. Received: 16 November 1999/Accepted: 24 May 2000