No Arabic abstract
On the basis of (i) Particle Image Velocimetry data of a Turbulent Boundary Layer with large field of view and good spatial resolution and (ii) a mathematical relation between the energy spectrum and specifically modeled flow structures, we show that the scalings of the streamwise energy spectrum $E_{11}(k_{x})$ in a wavenumber range directly affected by the wall are determined by wall-attached eddies but are not given by the Townsend-Perry attached eddy models prediction of these spectra, at least at the Reynolds numbers $Re_{tau}$ considered here which are between $10^{3}$ and $10^{4}$. Instead, we find $E_{11}(k_{x}) sim k_{x}^{-1-p}$ where $p$ varies smoothly with distance to the wall from negative values in the buffer layer to positive values in the inertial layer. The exponent $p$ characterises the turbulence levels inside wall-attached streaky structures conditional on the length of these structures.
The spectral model of Perry, Henbest & Chong (1986) predicts that the integral length-scale varies very slowly with distance to the wall in the intermediate layer. The only way for the integral length scales variation to be more realistic while keeping with the Townsend-Perry attached eddy spectrum is to add a new wavenumber range to the model at wavenumbers smaller than that spectrum. This necessary addition can also account for the high Reynolds number outer peak of the turbulent kinetic energy in the intermediate layer. An analytic expression is obtained for this outer peak in agreement with extremely high Reynolds number data by Hultmark, Vallikivi, Bailey & Smits (2012, 2013). The finding of Dallas, Vassilicos & Hewitt (2009) that it is the eddy turnover time and not the mean flow gradient which scales with distance to the wall and skin friction velocity in the intermediate layer implies, when combined with Townsends (1976) production-dissipation balance, that the mean flow gradient has an outer peak at the same location as the turbulent kinetic energy. This is seen in the data of Hultmark, Vallikivi, Bailey & Smits (2012, 2013). The same approach also predicts that the mean flow gradient has a logarithmic decay at distances to the wall larger than the position of the outer peak, a qualitative prediction which the aforementioned data also support.
A generalised quasilinear (GQL) approximation (Marston emph{et al.}, emph{Phys. Rev. Lett.}, vol. 116, 104502, 2016) is applied to turbulent channel flow at $Re_tau simeq 1700$ ($Re_tau$ is the friction Reynolds number), with emphasis on the energy transfer in the streamwise wavenumber space. The flow is decomposed into low and high streamwise wavenumber groups, the former of which is solved by considering the full nonlinear equations whereas the latter is obtained from the linearised equations around the former. The performance of the GQL approximation is subsequently compared with that of a QL model (Thomas emph{et al.}, emph{Phys. Fluids.}, vol. 26, no. 10, 105112, 2014), in which the low-wavenumber group only contains zero streamwise wavenumber. It is found that the QL model exhibits a considerably reduced multi-scale behaviour at the given moderately high Reynolds number. This is improved significantly by the GQL approximation which incorporates only a few more streamwise Fourier modes into the low-wavenumber group, and it reasonably well recovers the distance-from-the-wall scaling in the turbulence statistics and spectra. Finally, it is proposed that the energy transfer from the low to the high-wavenumber group in the GQL approximation, referred to as the `scattering mechanism, depends on the neutrally stable leading Lyapunov spectrum of the linearised equations for the high wavenumber group. In particular, it is shown that if the threshold wavenumber distinguishing the two groups is sufficiently high, the scattering mechanism can completely be absent due to the linear nature of the equations for the high-wavenumber group.
We present a construction of isotropic boundary adapted wavelets, which are orthogonal and yield a multi-resolution analysis. We analyze direct numerical simulation data of turbulent channel flow computed at a friction Reynolds number of 395, and investigate the role of coherent vorticity. Thresholding of the vorticity wavelet coefficients allows to split the flow into two parts, coherent and incoherent vorticity. The coherent vorticity is reconstructed from their few intense wavelet coefficients. The statistics of the coherent part, i.e., energy and enstrophy spectra, are close to the statistics of the total flow, and moreover, the nonlinear energy budgets are very well preserved. The remaining incoherent part, represented by the large majority of the weak wavelet coefficients, corresponds to a structureless, i.e., noise-like, background flow whose energy is equidistributed.
The present numerical investigation uses well-resolved large-eddy simulations to study the low-frequency unsteady motions observed in shock-wave/turbulent-boundary-layer interactions. Details about the numerical aspects of the simulations and the subsequent data analysis can be found in three papers by the authors (Theo. Comput. Fluid Dyn., 23:79--107 (2009); Shock Waves, 19(6):469--478 (2009) and J. of Fluid Mech. (2011)). The fluid dynamics video illustrates the complexity of the interaction between a Mach 2.3 supersonic turbulent boundary layer and an oblique shock wave generated by a 8-degree wedge angle. The first part of the video highlights the propagation of disturbances along the reflected shock due to the direct perturbation of the shock foot by turbulence structures from the upstream boundary layer. The second part of the video describes the observed block-like back-and-forth motions of the reflected shock, focusing on timescales about two orders of magnitude longer than the ones shown in the first part of video. This gives a visual impression of the broadband and energetically-significant peak in the wall-pressure spectrum at low frequencies. The background blue-white colouring represents the temperature field (with white corresponding to hot) and one can clearly appreciate why such low-frequency shock motions can lead to reduced fatigue lifetimes and is detrimental to aeronautical applications.
An experiment was performed using SPIV in the LMFL boundary layer facility to determine all the derivative moments needed to estimate the average dissipation rate of the turbulence kinetic energy, $varepsilon = 2 u langle s_{ij}s_{ij} rangle$ where $s_{ij}$ is the fluctuating strain-rate and $langle~rangle$ denotes ensemble averages. Also measured were all the moments of the full average deformation rate tensor, as well as all of the first, second and third fluctuating velocity moments except those involving pressure. The Reynolds number was $Re_theta = 7500$ or $Re_tau = 2300$. The results are presented in three separate papers. This first paper (Part I) presents the measured average dissipation, $varepsilon$ and the derivative moments comprising it. It compares the results to the earlier measurements of cite{balint91,honkan97} at lower Reynolds numbers and a new results from a plane channel flow DNS at comparable Reynolds number. It then uses the results to extend and evaluate the theoretical predictions of cite{george97b,wosnik00} for all quantities in the overlap region. Of special interest is the prediction that $varepsilon^+ propto {y^+}^{-1}$ for streamwise homogeneous flows and a nearly indistinguishable power law, $varepsilon propto {y^+}^{gamma-1}$, for boundary layers. In spite of the modest Reynolds number, the predictions seem to be correct. It also predicts and confirms that the transport moment contribution to the energy balance in the overlap region, $partial langle - pv /rho - q^2 v/2 rangle/ partial y$ behaves similarly. An immediate consequence is that the usual eddy viscosity model for these terms cannot be correct. The second paper, Part II, examines in detail the statistical character of the velocity derivatives. The details of the SPIV methodology is in Part III, since it will primarily be of interest to experimentalists.