A turbulent mixing Reynolds stress model fitted to match linear interaction analysis predictions

Abstract

To predict the evolution of turbulent mixing zones developing in shock tube experiments with different gases, a turbulence model must be able to reliably evaluate the production due to the shock–turbulence interaction. In the limit of homogeneous weak turbulence, ‘linear interaction analysis’ (LIA) can be applied. This theory relies on Kovasznay's decomposition and allows the computation of waves transmitted or produced at the shock front. With assumptions about the composition of the upstream turbulent mixture, one can connect the second-order moments downstream from the shock front to those upstream through a transfer matrix, depending on shock strength. The purpose of this work is to provide a turbulence model that matches LIA results for the shock–turbulent mixture interaction. Reynolds stress models (RSMs) with additional equations for the density–velocity correlation and the density variance are considered here. The turbulent states upstream and downstream from the shock front calculated with these models can also be related through a transfer matrix, provided that the numerical implementation is based on a pseudo-pressure formulation. Then, the RSM should be modified in such a way that its transfer matrix matches the LIA one. Using the pseudo-pressure to introduce ad hoc production terms, we are able to obtain a close agreement between LIA and RSM matrices for any shock strength and thus improve the capabilities of the RSM.