Free-stream turbulence and concave curvature effects on heated, transitional boundary layers, volume 1

An experimental investigation of the transition process on flat-plate and concave curved-wall boundary layers for various free-streem turbulence levels was performed. Where possible, sampling according to the intermittency function was made. Such sampling allowed segregation of the signal into two types of behavior: laminar-like and turbulent-like. The results from the investigation are discussed. Documentation is presented in two volumes. Volume one contains the text of the report including figures and supporting appendices. Volume two contains data reduction program listings and tabulated data

Visualization of pre-set vortices in boundary layer flow over wavy surface in rectangular channel

Smoke-wire flow visualization is used to study the development of pre-set counter-rotating streamwise vortices in boundary layer flow over a wavy surface in a rectangular channel. The formation of the vortices is indicated by the vortical structures on the cross-sectional plane normal to the wavy surface. To obtain uniform spanwise vortex wavelength which will result in uniform vortex size, two types of spanwise disturbances were used: a series of perturbation wires placed prior and normal to the leading edge of the wavy surface, and a jagged pattern in the form of uniform triangles cut at the leading edge. These perturbation wires and jagged pattern induce low-velocity streaks that result in the formation of counter-rotating streamwise vortices that evolve downstream to form the mushroom-like structures on the cross-sectional plane of the flow. The evolution of the most amplified disturbances can be attributed to the formation of these mushroom-like structures. It is also shown that the size of the mushroom-like structures depends on the channel entrance geometry, Reynolds number, and the channel gap. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Study of the most Amplified Wavelength Gortler Vortices

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

BOUNDARY LAYER ON FLAT PLATE WITH LEADING EDGE PATTERNS

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

Automatic eduction and statistical analysis of coherent structures in the wall region of a confine plane

This paper describes a vortex detection algorithm used to expose and statistically characterize the coherent flow patterns observable in the velocity vector fields measured by Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) in the impingement region of air curtains. The philosophy and the architecture of this algorithm are presented. Its strengths and weaknesses are discussed. The results of a parametrical analysis performed to assess the variability of the response of our algorithm to the 3 user-specified parameters in our eduction scheme are reviewed. The technique is illustrated in the case of a plane turbulent impinging twin-jet with an opening ratio of 10. The corresponding jet Reynolds number, based on the initial mean flow velocity U0 and the jet width e, is 14000. The results of a statistical analysis of the size, shape, spatial distribution and energetic content of the coherent eddy structures detected in the impingement region of this test flow are provided. Although many questions remain open, new insights into the way these structures might form, organize and evolve are given. Relevant results provide an original picture of the plane turbulent impinging jet

Heavy Vehicle Aerodynamics: Massively-Separated Turbulent Flow & a Bio-Inspired Device

Dr. MacChesney’s doctoral studies focused on improvement of the state of the art in heavy vehicle aerodynamics through computational fluid dynamics methods. Through his research he has devised a drag reduction device inspired by the shape of a harbor seal whisker that reduces drag by up to 22%. Additionally, through application of a novel decomposition method he uncovered a hidden order within massively-separated turbulent flows with evidence that supports a centrifugal mechanism

Identification of Instability Modes of Transition in Underexpanded Jets

A series of experiments into the behavior of underexpanded jet flows has been conducted at NASA Langley Research Center. Two nozzles supplied with high-pressure gas were used to generate axisymmetric underexpanded jets exhausting into a low-pressure chamber. These nozzles had exit Mach numbers of 1 and 2.6, though this paper will present cases involving only the supersonic nozzle. Reynolds numbers based on nozzle exit conditions ranged from about 300 to 22,000, and nozzle exit-to-ambient jet pressure ratios ranged from about 1 to 25. For the majority of cases, the jet fluid was a mixture of 99.5% nitrogen seeded with 0.5% nitric oxide (NO). Planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) of NO is used to visualize the flow, visualizing planar slices of the flow rather than path integrated measurements. In addition to revealing the size and location of flow structures, PLIF images were also used to identify unsteady jet behavior in order to quantify the conditions governing the transition to turbulent flow. Flow structures that contribute to the growth of flow instabilities have been identified, and relationships between Reynolds number and transition location are presented. By highlighting deviations from mean flow properties, PLIF images are shown to aide in the identification and characterization of flow instabilities and the resulting process of transition to turbulence

Coherent structures in turbulent mixed convection flows through channels with differentially heated walls

The occurrence and shape of turbulent structures in mixed convection flows through a differently heated vertical channel are investigated in terms of thermally induced attenuation and amplification of turbulent velocity, pressure, and temperature fluctuations using direct numerical simulations. It is shown that the wall-normal momentum transport is decreased and increased near the heated and cooled wall, respectively, and that this leads to a reduced and elevated production of turbulent velocity fluctuations in the streamwise velocity component in the aiding and opposing flow, respectively. The corresponding flow structures are smoother, faster and warmer in the aiding flow and aligned along the main flow, while the colder structures in the opposing flow are more frayed and less directed. The warmer flow structures in the aiding flow are overall more stable than the colder structures in the opposing flow. Besides, the study reveals that the position of the maximum temperature fluctuations moves toward the heated wall, so that the sweeps produced at the two walls are affected differently by the former. As a consequence, the distance and time period over which the fluctuations develop in the aiding flow are shorter than in the opposing flow. It is further shown that vortex structures oriented in the streamwise direction usually arise with an offset to the right or left above a sweep or an ejection, whereby the decreasing values of the correlation coefficients with increasing Grashof number indicate a weakening of the vortex structures. Since none of the evaluated vortex criteria, that is, the distributions of the vorticity, lambda_2- value or Rortex-value correlate well with the evaluated minima of the pressure fluctuations, they do not allow a clear identification of the vortex structures. Finally, analyzing the budget of the turbulent kinetic energy it is confirmed that the velocity fluctuations are only indirectly influenced by the buoyancy force. Thus, the attenuation and amplification of the turbulent velocity fluctuations is reflected in the reduction and exaggeration of the Reynolds shear stresses in the aiding and opposing flow, respectivel