Momentum Thickness Measurements for Thick Axisymmetric Turbulent Boundary Layers

2003 ◽  
Vol 125 (3) ◽  
pp. 569-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimberly M. Cipolla ◽  
William L. Keith

Experimental measurements of the mean wall shear stress and boundary layer momentum thickness on long, thin cylindrical bodies are presented. To date, the spatial growth of the boundary layer and the related boundary layer parameters have not been measured for cases where δ/a (a=cylinder radius) is much greater than one. Moderate Reynolds numbers 104<Reθ<105 encountered in hydrodynamic applications are considered. Tow tests of cylinders with diameters of 0.61, 0.89, and 2.5 mm and lengths ranging from approximately 30 meters to 150 meters were performed. The total drag (axial force) was measured at tow speeds up to 17.4 m/sec. These data were used to determine the tangential drag coefficients on each test specimen, which were found to be two to three times greater than the values for the corresponding hypothetical flat-plate cases. Using the drag measurements, the turbulent boundary layer momentum thickness at the downstream end of the cylindrical bodies is determined, using a control volume analysis. The results show that for the smallest diameter cylinders, there is no indication of relaminarization, and a fully developed turbulent boundary layer exists. A scaling law for the momentum thickness versus length Reynolds number is determined from the data. The results indicate that the spatial growth of the boundary layers over the entire length is less than for a comparable flat-plate case.

Author(s):  
Kimberly M. Cipolla ◽  
William L. Keith

Experimental measurements of the mean wall shear stress and boundary layer momentum thickness on long, thin cylindrical bodies are presented. To date, the spatial growth of the boundary layer and the related boundary layer parameters have not been measured for cases where δ/a (a = cylinder radius) is of order one or greater. Moderate Reynolds numbers (104 &lt; Reθ &lt; 105) encountered in hydrodynamic applications, are considered. Tow tests of cylinders with diameters of 0.89 mm and 2.5 mm and lengths ranging from approximately 30 meters to 150 meters were performed using the High-Speed Seawater Tow Tank at NASA Langley Research Center. The total drag (axial force) was measured at tow speeds ranging from 2.4 to 17.4 m/sec. These data were used to determine the tangential drag coefficients on each test specimen, which were found to be two to three times greater than the values for the corresponding hypothetical flat-plate cases. Using the drag measurements, the turbulent boundary layer momentum thickness at the end of the cylindrical bodies is determined, using a control volume analysis. The results show that for the smallest diameter cylinders, there is no indication of relaminarization, and a fully developed turbulent boundary layer exists. In addition, laser measurements showed no large scale transverse motions (snaking) existed during the tows, and the tow angle was less than 1 degree for all cases, confirming that the cylinders were neutrally buoyant.


2016 ◽  
Vol 796 ◽  
pp. 437-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Kozul ◽  
D. Chung ◽  
J. P. Monty

We perform a direct numerical simulation (DNS) investigation of the incompressible temporally developing turbulent boundary layer. The approach is inspired by temporal simulations of flows which are generally thought of as developing in space, such as wakes and mixing layers. Compressible boundary layers have previously been studied in this manner yet the temporal approach appears to be under-exploited in the literature concerning incompressible boundary layers. The flow is the turbulent counterpart to the laminar Rayleigh problem or Stokes’ first problem, in which a fluid at rest is set into motion by a wall moving at constant velocity. An initial profile that models the effect of a wall-mounted trip wire is implemented and allows the characterisation of initial conditions by a trip Reynolds number. For the current set-up, a trip Reynolds number of 500 based on the trip-wire diameter successfully triggers transition yet only mildly perturbs the flow so it assumes a natural development at the lowest possible Reynolds number based on momentum thickness. A systematic trip study reveals that as the ratio of momentum thickness to trip-wire diameter approaches unity, our flow approaches a state free from the effects of its starting trip Reynolds number. The transport of a passive scalar by this flow is also simulated. The role played by domain size is investigated with two boxes, sized to accommodate two chosen final Reynolds numbers. Comparisons of the skin friction coefficient, velocity and scalar statistics demonstrate that the temporally developing boundary layer is a good model for the spatially developing boundary layer once initial conditions can be neglected. Analysis of similarity solutions suggests such a rapprochement of the spatial and temporal boundary layers may be expected at high Reynolds numbers given that the only terms that asymptotically persist are those common to both cases. If one seeks statistics for the turbulent boundary layer, the temporal boundary layer is therefore a viable method if modest convergence is sufficient. We suggest that such a temporal set-up could prove useful in the study of turbulence dynamics.


1966 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 426-436 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. D. Carmichael ◽  
G. N. Pustintsev

Methods of predicting the growth of turbulent boundary layers in conical diffusers using the kinetic-energy deficit equation were developed. Three different forms of auxiliary equations were used. Comparison between the measured and predicted results showed that there was fair agreement although there was a tendency to underestimate the predicted momentum thickness and over-estimate the predicted shape factor.


1958 ◽  
Vol 62 (567) ◽  
pp. 215-219
Author(s):  
T. J. Black

A New type of auxiliary equation is given for calculating the development of the form-parameter H in turbulent boundary layers with adverse pressure gradients. The chief advantage of this new method lies in the rapidity and ease of calculation which has been achieved, without apparent sacrifice of accuracy.Whereas the growth of momentum thickness in the turbulent boundary layer can now be rapidly calculated by methods involving only simple quadrature, the prediction of the form parameter development remains a laborious task, while the results obtained do not always appear to justify the complexity of the calculations.


1997 ◽  
Vol 41 (01) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
T. Pichon ◽  
A. Pauchet ◽  
A. Astolfi ◽  
D. H. Fruman ◽  
J-Y. Billard

It is by now well established that, for Reynolds numbers larger than those corresponding to the conditions of laminar-to-turbulent boundary layer transition over a flat plate (≈0.5 × 106) and for a variety of wing shapes and cross sections, desinent cavitation numbers divided by the Reynolds number to the power 0.4 correlate with the square of the lift coefficient. In the case of foils having an NACA 16020 cross section and for Reynolds numbers below or close to those leading to transition over a flat plate, the results are very much different from those obtained for well-developed turbulent boundary layer conditions. Thus, a research program has been conducted in order to investigate the effect of boundary layer manipulation on cavitation occurrence. It consisted in determining the critical cavitation numbers, the lift coefficients, and the velocities in the tip vortex of foils having either a smooth surface or tripping roughness (promoters) near the leading edge. Tests were performed using elliptical foils of NACA 16020 cross section having the promoters extending over 60, 80 and 90 percent of the semi-span. The region near the tip was kept smooth in order to distinguish laminar-to-turbulent transition effects from tip vortex cavitation inhibition effects associated with artificial roughness at the wing tip. Results obtained at very low Reynolds numbers, ≥ 0.24 × 106, with the foil tripped on both the pressure and suction sides collapse rather well with those previously obtained at much larger Reynolds numbers with the smooth foil, and correlate with the square of the lift coefficient. The differences between the tripped and smooth foil results are due to the modification of the lift characteristics through the modification of the wing boundary layer, as shown by flow visualization studies, and as a result of the local tip vortex intensity.


2014 ◽  
Vol 136 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica M. Walker

Smooth and rough wall turbulent boundary layer profiles are frequently scaled using the wall shear velocity u*, thus it is important that u* is accurately known. This paper reviews and assesses several wall similarity techniques to determine u* and compares results with data from the total stress, Preston tube, and direct force methods. The performance of each method was investigated using experimental repeatability data of smooth and rough wall turbulent boundary layer profiles at Reθ of 3330 and 4840, respectively, obtained using laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV) in a recirculating water tunnel. To validate the results, an analysis was also performed on the direct numerical simulation (DNS) data of Jimenez et al. (2010, “Turbulent Boundary Layers and Channels at Moderate Reynolds Numbers,” J. Fluid Mech., 657, pp. 335–360) at Reθ = 1968. The inner layer similarity methods of Bradshaw had low experimental uncertainty and accurately determined u* and ε for the DNS data and are the recommended wall similarity methods for turbulent boundary layer profile analysis. The outer layer similarity methods did not perform well, due to the need to simultaneously solve for three parameters: u*, ε, and Π. It is strongly recommended that the u* values determined using wall similarity techniques are independently verified using another method such as the total stress or direct force methods.


1996 ◽  
Vol 118 (4) ◽  
pp. 787-794 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. C. Schwarz ◽  
M. W. Plesniak

A turbulent boundary layer subjected to multiple, additional strain rates, namely convex curvature coupled with streamwise pressure gradients (zero and favorable, ZPG and FPG) was investigated experimentally using laser Doppler velocimetry. The inapplicability of the universal flat-plate log-law to curved flows is discussed. However, a logarithmic region is found in the curved and accelerated turbulent boundary layer examined here. Similarity of the mean velocity and Reynolds stress profiles was achieved by 45 deg of curvature even in the presence of the strongest FPG investigated (k = 1.01 × 10−6). The Reynolds stresses were suppressed (with respect to flat plate values) due primarily to the effects of strong convex curvature (δo/R ≈ 0.10). In curved boundary layers subjected to different favorable pressure gradients, the mean velocity and normal Reynolds stress profiles collapsed in the inner region, but deviated in the outer region (y+ ≥ 100). Thus, inner scaling accounted for the impact of the extra strain rates on these profiles in the near-wall region. Combined with curvature, the FPG reduced the strength of the wake component, resulted in a greater suppression of the fluctuating velocity components and a reduction of the primary Reynolds shear stress throughout almost the entire boundary layer relative to the ZPG curved case.


2017 ◽  
Vol 140 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anton Silvestri ◽  
Farzin Ghanadi ◽  
Maziar Arjomandi ◽  
Benjamin Cazzolato ◽  
Anthony Zander

In the present study, the optimal two-dimensional (2D) tripping technique for inducing a naturally fully developed turbulent boundary layer in wind tunnels has been investigated. Various tripping techniques were tested, including wires of different diameters and changes in roughness. Experimental measurements were taken on a flat plate in a wind tunnel at a number of locations along the flat plate and at a variety of flow speeds using hot-wire anemometry to measure the boundary layer resulting from each tripping method. The results have demonstrated that to produce a natural turbulent boundary layer using a 2D protuberance, the height of the trip must be less than the undisturbed boundary layer thickness. Using such a trip was shown to reduce the development length of the turbulent boundary layer by approximately 50%. This was shown to hold true for all Reynolds numbers investigated (Rex=1.2×105−1.5×106). The present study provides an insight into the effect of the investigated trip techniques on the induced transition of a laminar boundary layer into turbulence.


2014 ◽  
Vol 136 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen A. Jordan

Even after several decades of experimental and numerical testing, our present-day knowledge of the axisymmetric turbulent boundary layer (TBL) along long thin circular cylinders still lacks a clear picture of many fundamental characteristics. The main issues causing this reside in the experimental testing complexities and the numerical simplifications. An important characteristic that is crucial for routine scaling is the boundary layer length scales, but the downstream growth of these scales (boundary layer, displacement, and momentum thicknesses) is largely unknown from the leading to trailing edges. Herein, we combine pertinent datasets with many complementary numerical computations (large-eddy simulations) to address this shortfall. We are particularly interested in expressing the length scales in terms of the radius-based and axial-based Reynolds numbers (Rea and Rex). Although the composite dataset gave an averaged shape factor H = 1.09 that is substantially lower than the planar value (H = 1.27), the shape factor distribution along the cylinder axis actually begins at the flat plate value then decays logarithmically to near unity. The integral length scales displayed power-law evolutions with variable exponents until high Rea (Rea > 35,000) where both scales then mimic streamwise consistency. Beneath this threshold, their streamwise growth is much slower than the flat plate (especially at low-Rea). The boundary layer thickness grew according to an empirical expression that is dependent on both Rea and Rex where its streamwise growth can far exceed the planar turbulent flow. These unique characteristics rank the thin cylinder axisymmetric TBL as a separate canonical flow, which was well documented by the previous investigations.


2015 ◽  
Vol 785 ◽  
pp. 78-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Cheng ◽  
D. I. Pullin ◽  
R. Samtaney

We present large-eddy simulations (LES) of separation and reattachment of a flat-plate turbulent boundary-layer flow. Instead of resolving the near wall region, we develop a two-dimensional virtual wall model which can calculate the time- and space-dependent skin-friction vector field at the wall, at the resolved scale. By combining the virtual-wall model with the stretched-vortex subgrid-scale (SGS) model, we construct a self-consistent framework for the LES of separating and reattaching turbulent wall-bounded flows at large Reynolds numbers. The present LES methodology is applied to two different experimental flows designed to produce separation/reattachment of a flat-plate turbulent boundary layer at medium Reynolds number $Re_{{\it\theta}}$ based on the momentum boundary-layer thickness ${\it\theta}$. Comparison with data from the first case at $Re_{{\it\theta}}=2000$ demonstrates the present capability for accurate calculation of the variation, with the streamwise co-ordinate up to separation, of the skin friction coefficient, $Re_{{\it\theta}}$, the boundary-layer shape factor and a non-dimensional pressure-gradient parameter. Additionally the main large-scale features of the separation bubble, including the mean streamwise velocity profiles, show good agreement with experiment. At the larger $Re_{{\it\theta}}=11\,000$ of the second case, the LES provides good postdiction of the measured skin-friction variation along the whole streamwise extent of the experiment, consisting of a very strong adverse pressure gradient leading to separation within the separation bubble itself, and in the recovering or reattachment region of strongly-favourable pressure gradient. Overall, the present two-dimensional wall model used in LES appears to be capable of capturing the quantitative features of a separation-reattachment turbulent boundary-layer flow at low to moderately large Reynolds numbers.


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