Abstract
We employ novel digital Fresnel reflection holography to capture the 3D flows within the viscous sublayer of a smooth-wall turbulent channel flow at Reτ=400. The measurements reveal unsteady and diverse flow patterns in the sublayer including nearly uniform high and low speed flows and strong small-scale (on the order of viscous wall units) spanwise meandering motions. The probability density functions (PDFs) of wall shear stresses show a clear discrepancy in high stress range with those from direct numerical simulation (DNS), which is attributed to the unresolved streamwise and spanwise motions by DNS. Moreover, the PDF of Lagrangian particle accelerations yields a stretched exponential shape like that in homogenous isotropic turbulence, indicating strong intermittency in the sublayer. We find a significant fraction of high accelerations is associated with the small-scale meandering motions. Our study helps explain the effect of sublayer-scale roughness on reducing drag and flow separation reported in the literature.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.