Correlation measurements in a non-frozen pattern of turbulence

Abstract

The properties of a turbulent flow are often described in terms of velocity correlations in space, in time, and in space-time. In this paper the interpretation of velocity correlation measurements which are made in a region of highintensity turbulence is considered in some detail. Under these conditions it is shown that some account must be taken of the effects of both mean and fluctuating shear stresses which are continuously modifying the turbulent structure. For an almost frozen pattern, for example, in the turbulence behind a grid, the turbulent convection velocity is amost equal to the mean flow velocity, while the space correlation and auto-correlation of the velocity fluctuations are simply related through this velocity. In contrast to this, when the intensity is high, the convection velocity may differ considerably from the mean velocity, while it is shown that different turbulent spectral components appear to travel at different speeds. This means that the turbulent spectrum and the turbulent space scales are no longer simply related. For example, the high-frequency spectral components may be ascribed to both the high-velocity eddies and the small wave-number components acting together.Experimental results are presented which indicate the conditions under which the assumption of a frozen pattern leads to uncertainties in the subsequent interpretation of the measurements. The measurements also show that the observed difference between the mean and the convection velocity may be qualitatively explained in terms of the skewness of the velocity signals.