Measurements of the free-stream fluctuations above a turbulent boundary layer

Abstract

In this paper an investigation of the velocity fluctuations in the free stream above an incompressible turbulent boundary layer developing at constant pressure is described. It is assumed that the fluctuations receive contributions from three statistically independent sources: (i) one-dimensional unsteadiness, (ii) free-stream turbulence, and (iii) the irrotational motion induced by the turbulent boundary layer. Measurements were made in a wind tunnel with a root-mean-square level of the axial velocity fluctuations of about 0.2%. All three velocity components were measured using an X-wire probe. The unsteadiness was determined from the spanwise covariance of the axial velocity fluctuations, measured using two single-wire probes. The results show that it is possible to separate the contributions to the rms level of the velocity fluctuations without resorting to the dubious technique of high-pass filtering. This separation could be extended to the spectral densities of the contributions if measurements of sufficient accuracy were available.