Secondary Flow Near an Undulatory Surface Induced by Wall Blocking Effect

Abstract

Prandtl's secondary mean motions of the second kind near an undulating surface were explained in terms of turbulent blocking effect and kinematic boundary conditions at the surface, and its order of magnitude was estimated. Isotropic turbulence is distorted by the undulating surface of wavelength λ and amplitude h with a low slope, so that h<<λ. The prime mechanism for generating the mean flow is that the far-field isotropic turbulence is distorted by the non-local blocking effect of the surface to become anisotropic axisymmetric turbulence near the surface with principal axis that is not aligned with the local curvature of the undulation. Then the local analysis can be applied and the mechanism is similar to the mean flow generation mechanism for homogeneous axisymmetric turbulence over a planer surface, i.e. gradients of the Reynolds stress caused by the turbulent blocking effect generate the mean motions. The results from this simple analysis are consistent with previous exact analysis in which the effects of curvature are strictly taken into account. The results also qualitatively agree with flow visualization over an undulating surface in a mixing-box.