Finite-amplitude three-dimensional instability of inviscid laminar boundary layers

1995 ◽  
Vol 290 ◽  
pp. 203-212
Author(s):  
Melvin E. Stern

An inviscid laminar boundary layer flow Û(ŷ) with vertical thickness λy, and free stream velocity U is disturbed at time $\tcirc$ = 0 by a normal velocity $\vcirc$ and by a spanwise velocity ŵ([xcirc ],ŷ, $\zcirc$, 0) of finite amplitude αU, with spanwise ($\zcirc$) scale λz, and streamwise ([xcirc ]) scale λx = λz/α; the streamwise velocity û([xcirc ],ŷ,$\zcirc$,$\tcirc$) is initially undisturbed. A long wave λy/λz → 0) expansion of the Euler equations for fixed α and time scale $\tcirc$s = U−1λz/α results in a hyperbolic equation for Lagrangian displacements ŷ. Within the interval $\tcirc$ > $\tcirc$s of asymptotic validity, finite parcel displacements (O(λy)) with finite (O(U)) û fluctuations occur, independent of α no matter how small; the basic flow Û is therefore said to be unstable to streaky (λx [Gt ] λz) spanwise perturbations. The temporal development of the ('spot’) region in the (x,z) plane wherein inflected û profiles appear is computed and qualitatively related to observations of ‘breakdown’ and transition to turbulence in the flow over a flat plate. The maximum $\vcirc$([xcirc ],ŷ,$\zcirc$,$\tcirc$) increases monotonically to infinity as $\tcirc$ → $\tcirc$s.

2019 ◽  
Vol XVI (2) ◽  
pp. 13-22
Author(s):  
Muhammad Ehtisham Siddiqui

Three-dimensional boundary-layer flow is well known for its abrupt and sharp transition from laminar to turbulent regime. The presented study is a first attempt to achieve the target of delaying the natural transition to turbulence. The behaviour of two different shaped and sized stationary disturbances (in the laboratory frame) on the rotating-disk boundary layer flow is investigated. These disturbances are placed at dimensionless radial location (Rf = 340) which lies within the convectively unstable zone over a rotating-disk. Mean velocity profiles were measured using constant-temperature hot-wire anemometry. By careful analysis of experimental data, the instability of these disturbance wakes and its estimated orientation within the boundary-layer were investigated.


2018 ◽  
Vol 849 ◽  
pp. 192-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominic A. van der A ◽  
Pietro Scandura ◽  
Tom O’Donoghue

Turbulence characteristics of an asymmetric oscillatory boundary layer flow are analysed through two-component laser-Doppler measurements carried out in a large oscillatory flow tunnel and direct numerical simulation (DNS). Five different Reynolds numbers, $R_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}}$, in the range 846–2057 have been investigated experimentally, where $R_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}}=\tilde{u} _{0max}\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}/\unicode[STIX]{x1D708}$ with $\tilde{u} _{0max}$ the maximum oscillatory velocity in the irrotational region, $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}$ the Stokes length and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D708}$ the fluid kinematic viscosity. DNS has been carried out for the lowest three $R_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}}$ equal to 846, 1155 and 1475. Both experimental and numerical results show that the flow statistics increase during accelerating phases of the flow and especially at times of transition to turbulent flow. Once turbulence is fully developed, the near-wall statistics remain almost constant until the late half-cycle, with values close to those reported for steady wall-bounded flows. The higher-order statistics reach large values within a normalized wall distance of approximately $y/\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}=0.2$ at phases corresponding to the onset of low-speed streak breaking, because of the intermittency of the velocity fluctuations at these times. In particular, the flatness of the streamwise velocity fluctuations reaches values of the order of ten, while the flatness of the wall-normal velocity fluctuations reaches values of several hundreds. Far from the wall, at locations where the vertical gradient of the streamwise velocity is zero, the skewness is approximately zero and the flatness is approximately equal to 3, representative of a normal distribution. At lower elevations the distribution of the fluctuations deviate substantially from a normal distribution, but are found to be well described by other standard theoretical probability distributions.


Author(s):  
Seyed Mohammad Hasheminejad ◽  
Hatsari Mitsudharmadi ◽  
S. H. Winoto ◽  
Kim Boon Lua ◽  
Hong Tong Low

The evolution of streamwise counter-rotating vortices induced by different leading edge patterns is investigated quantitatively using hot-wire anemometer. A notched and triangular leading edge with the same wavelength and amplitude were designed to induce streamwise vortices over a flat plate at Reynolds number (based on the wavelength of the leading edge patterns) of 3080 corresponding to free-stream velocity of 3 m/s. The streamwise velocity at different streamwise locations collected and analyzed using a single wire probe hot-wire anemometer showed reveal different characteristics of boundary layer flow due to the presence of these two leading edge patterns. The major difference is the appearance of an additional streamwise vortex between the troughs of the notched pattern. Such vortices increase the mixing effect in the boundary layer as well as the velocity profile.


The effect of small imperfections in shear flows on the development of finite-amplitude three-dimensional disturbances in the flow is examined. A model problem is studied, one in which the basic flow is plane Poiseuille flow in a channel and the small imperfection in the form of spanwise periodic variation of the basic flow is introduced from the channel boundaries. It is shown that this has a positive effect on the growth of larger Tollmien-Schlichting wave disturbances, which are in the form of standing waves in the spanwise direction. Equations for the amplitudes of these disturbances, based on Stuart-Watson-Eckhaus theory, are derived and over a range of Reynolds number, the regions in the wavenumber plane over which equilibrium solutions are possible are identified. The possibility of three-dimensional disturbances that are oscillatory in the streamwise direction but that may be growing exponentially in a spanwise direction is examined.


1975 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 561-572 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. S. Vimala ◽  
G. Nath

The unsteady laminar compressible boundary-layer flow in the immediate vicinity of a two-dimensional stagnation point due to an incident stream whose velocity varies arbitrarily with time is considered. The governing partial differential equations, involving both time and the independent similarity variable, are transformed into new co-ordinates with finite ranges by means of a transformation which maps an infinite interval into a finite one. The resulting equations are solved by converting them into a matrix equation through the application of implicit finite-difference formulae. Computations have been carried out for two particular unsteady free-stream velocity distributions: (i) a constantly accelerating stream and (ii) a fluctuating stream. The results show that in the former case both the skin-friction and the heat-transfer parameter increase steadily with time after a certain instant, while in the latter they oscillate, thus responding to the fluctuations in the free-stream velocity.


1951 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Cooke

SummaryWild has extended to three dimensions the von Kármán-Pohlhausen method for the laminar boundary layer flow over a fixed obstacle and used the method for an infinite yawed elliptic cylinder in a stream. In this paper the method is tested in two ways (which may be called full-Pohlhausen and semi-Pohlhausen) for the case of an infinite yawed cylinder when the velocity outside the boundary layer over the surface normal to the generators is of the form U=cxm. The exact solution is known in this case.A table of the skin friction, displacement thickness and momentum thickness is given for various values of β [=2m/(m + 1)], and the agreement is found to be fairly good for β>0 (accelerated flow) but not so good for β<0 (retarded flow).)


1974 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 641-655 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. H. Horlock ◽  
A. K. Lewkowicz ◽  
J. Wordsworth

Two attempts were made to develop a three-dimensional laminar boundary layer in the flow over a flat plate in a curved duct, establishing a negligible streamwise pressure gradient and, at the same time, an appreciable crosswise pressure gradient.A first series of measurements was undertaken keeping the free-stream velocity at about 30 ft/s; the boundary layer was expected to be laminar, but appears to have been transitional. As was to be expected, the cross-flow in the boundary layer decreased gradually as the flow became progressively more turbulent.In a second experiment, at a lower free-stream velocity of approximately 10 ft/s, the boundary layer was laminar. Its streamwise profile resembled closely the Blasius form, but the cross-flow near the edge of the boundary layer appears to have exceeded that predicted theoretically. However, there was a substantial experimental scatter in the measurements of the yaw angle, which in laminar boundary layers is difficult to obtain accurately.


2009 ◽  
Vol 618 ◽  
pp. 209-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
LARS-UVE SCHRADER ◽  
LUCA BRANDT ◽  
DAN S. HENNINGSON

Receptivity in three-dimensional boundary-layer flow to localized surface roughness and free-stream vorticity is studied. A boundary layer of Falkner–Skan–Cooke type with favourable pressure gradient is considered to model the flow slightly downstream of a swept-wing leading edge. In this region, stationary and travelling crossflow instability dominates over other instability types. Three scenarios are investigated: the presence of low-amplitude chordwise localized, spanwise periodic roughness elements on the plate, the impingement of a weak vortical free-stream mode on the boundary layer and the combination of both disturbance sources. Three receptivity mechanisms are identified: steady receptivity to roughness, unsteady receptivity to free-stream vorticity and unsteady receptivity to vortical modes scattered at the roughness. Both roughness and vortical modes provide efficient direct receptivity mechanisms for stationary and travelling crossflow instabilities. We find that stationary crossflow modes dominate for free-stream turbulence below a level of about 0.5%, whereas higher turbulence levels will promote the unsteady receptivity mechanism. Under the assumption of small amplitudes of the roughness and the free-stream disturbance, the unsteady receptivity process due to scattering of free-stream vorticity at the roughness has been found to give small initial disturbance amplitudes in comparison to the direct mechanism for free-stream modes. However, in many environments free-stream vorticity and roughness may excite interacting unstable stationary and travelling crossflow waves. This nonlinear process may rapidly lead to large disturbance amplitudes and promote transition to turbulence.


2019 ◽  
Vol 880 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Zammert ◽  
Bruno Eckhardt

Plane Poiseuille flow, the pressure-driven flow between parallel plates, shows a route to turbulence connected with a linear instability to Tollmien–Schlichting (TS) waves, and another route, the bypass transition, that can be triggered with finite-amplitude perturbation. We use direct numerical simulations to explore the arrangement of the different routes to turbulence among the set of initial conditions. For plates that are a distance $2H$ apart, and in a domain of width $2\unicode[STIX]{x03C0}H$ and length $2\unicode[STIX]{x03C0}H$, the subcritical instability to TS waves sets in at $Re_{c}=5815$ and extends down to $Re_{TS}\approx 4884$. The bypass route becomes available above $Re_{E}=459$ with the appearance of three-dimensional, finite-amplitude travelling waves. Below $Re_{c}$, TS transition appears for a tiny region of initial conditions that grows with increasing Reynolds number. Above $Re_{c}$, the previously stable region becomes unstable via TS waves, but a sharp transition to the bypass route can still be identified. Both routes lead to the same turbulent state in the final stage of the transition, but on different time scales. Similar phenomena can be expected in other flows where two or more routes to turbulence compete.


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