A Reappraisal of Sutton's Parametern

Abstract

From dimensional arguments Sutton in 1932 proposed a power law form for the Lagrangian autocorrelation, R(ξ). The resulting diffusion equations have been widely used. There have been very few experimental determinations of R(ξ) in the last 30 years. However, an examination of available data suggests that Sutton's proposal may be a satisfactory approximation for a usefully broad range. Extrapolation to long travel distances is not justified on the basis of published curves for R(ξ) and on theoretical grounds (largely because the Lagrangian integral scale of turbulence becomes infinite).