Consistency between the attached-eddy model and the inner–outer interaction model: a study of streamwise wall-shear stress fluctuations in a turbulent channel flow

Abstract

The inner–outer interaction model (Marusic et al., Science, vol. 329, 2010, pp. 193–196) and the attached-eddy model (Townsend, Cambridge University Press, 1976) are two fundamental models describing the multiscale turbulence interactions and the organization of energy-containing motions in the logarithmic region of high-Reynolds-number wall-bounded turbulence, respectively. In this paper, by coupling the additive description with the attached-eddy model, the generation process of streamwise wall-shear fluctuations, resulting from wall-attached eddies, is portrayed. Then, by resorting to the inner–outer interaction model, the streamwise wall-shear stress fluctuations generated by attached eddies in a turbulent channel flow are isolated. Direct comparison between the statistics from these two models demonstrates that they are consistent with and complement each other. Meanwhile, we further show that the superpositions of attached eddies follow an additive process strictly by verifying the validity of the strong and extended self-similarity. Moreover, we propose a Gaussian model to characterize the instantaneous distribution of streamwise wall-shear stress, resulting from the attached-eddy superpositions. These findings are important for developing an advanced reduced-order wall model.