Shear Layer Dynamics Research Articles

Effect of inlet flow turbulence on hydro–acoustic coupling and flame–vortex interactions in a premixed dump combustor

The present work examines the effect of inlet flow turbulence on the flame–vortex modulations, hydro–acoustic coupling and recirculation zone dynamics at the onset of instability. The flow turbulence intensity varied using a custom-designed turbulence generator with different slot-width blockage plates placed upstream to the nominal flame-stabilization zone. The high-speed recordings of the CH*/OH* chemiluminescence and particle image velocimetry are used to deduce the relation between the flame–acoustic, flame–vortex and hydrodynamic–acoustic features during the unsteady combustion. The bifurcation analysis map revealed the effect of high inlet flow turbulence on postponing the onset of instability to higher inlet flow parameters. The initial observations showed potential changes in the acoustic behaviour and dynamical state of premixed turbulent combustion with an increase in inlet flow turbulence. The spatial Rayleigh index map illustrates a significant change in the acoustic driving region at high inlet flow turbulence based on the flame stabilization, heat release zone and flame–acoustic modulation in the shear layer and recirculation zone. The velocity spectral analysis and dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) spectrum suggested a correlation between the acoustic modulation and hydrodynamic instabilities, resulting in higher heat release rate oscillations. The high inlet flow turbulence modulates the vertical flapping motion of the flame front and flame roll-up in the recirculation region as evident by DMD spectrum and spatial modes. The flame–vortex dynamics during the dynamic transition events showed that the high inlet flow turbulence influenced the vortex shedding along the shear layer and recirculation zone dynamics. At low turbulence intensity, the vortex, in turn, supports the bulk flame movement through the induced velocity, which interacts with the free stream to create regions of low velocity. In contrast, the vortex in the shear layer and flame resides along the shear layer at higher turbulence. The paper concludes that at higher inlet flow turbulence, the recirculating flame reduces the hydro–acoustically modulated flow velocity fluctuations, which significantly affect the upstream flame propagation propensity.

CHARACTERIZATION OF SEPARATED SHEAR LAYER OF ELEVATED JET IN CROSSFLOW AT LOW-VELOCITY RATIO

The present study reports an experimental investigation of the flow dynamics of separated shear layers of an elevated jet-in-crossflow (EJICF). The current work aims to enhance the understanding of the downwash of jet fluid into the stack-wake region, akin to plume downwash in chimney flows, particularly at a low-velocity ratio. One end of the square stack with the aspect ratio of 9.0 is kept on a flat plate while the jet emerges from the free-end open to crossflow. Flow visualization and particle image velocimetry (PIV) experiments are conducted in a recirculating, low-speed water tunnel for three Reynolds numbers, namely Re = 1000, 2000, and 4000, based on the side of the square stack (<i>D</i>) and the freestream velocity (<i>U</i><sub>∞</sub>). The study mainly focuses on the jet shear layer characteristics and the downstream wake near the free-end formed by the interaction of crossflow and the jet shear layer. The instantaneous flow behavior includes the analysis of the shedding of the jet shear layer in a symmetric plane (<i>z</i> = 0) at a constant velocity ratio of <i>R</i> = 0.5. On the windward side, the jet shear layer reveals the formation of small-scale vortices due to the Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability for Re ≥ 2000. Also, it is found that at a high Reynolds number (Re = 4000), an unstable vortex appears above the jet exit on the upstream side, mentioned as a hovering vortex. The mean and fluctuating flow behavior are investigated using streamline and contour plots of mean velocity and fluctuating components.

Thermochemical non-equilibrium hypersonic flow over a rectangular cavity embedded on a compression ramp

This paper reports a systematic computational investigation that elucidates the fundamental thermochemical non-equilibrium physics that occurs when air at Mach number of 11 encounters a rectangular cavity of aspect ratio L/D = 2.0 embedded on a 25° compression ramp. The mechanistic details of this highly complex flow phenomenon are obtained by solving the compressible form of the Navier–Stokes equations in two dimensions using a finite-volume open-source library. Chemical and thermal non-equilibrium processes are treated using a five-species, 12-reaction chemical kinetics, and a two-temperature model, respectively. Following a detailed validation and grid sensitivity study, two simulations are conducted, one with isothermal boundary conditions and the other with conjugate heat transfer (CHT) to identify the effect of energy transmission to the material on surface heat flux. Fast Fourier transforms and near-wall velocity profiles inside and in the neighborhood of the cavity are used to identify primary oscillatory modes and shear layer dynamics. Two new descriptive states defined as “states I and II,” representative of the minimum and maximum deflection of the shear layer, are used to discuss the dynamical behaviors in the cavity, including the separation region before the cavity, trailing edge effects, frequency analysis of probe data collected at several key locations, and the effect of CHT on surface heat flux. It is found that the flow features at the cavity's center strongly influence the separation upstream of the cavity, and the transrotational temperature near the cavity's trailing edge is strongly correlated with the oscillations of the shear layer.

Mean pressure gradient effects on the performance of ramjet cavity stabilized flames

Premixed cavity stabilized flames are experimentally investigated in a high-speed ramjet engine under the influence of varying mean pressure gradients. The ramjet cavity incorporates a backward facing step with an aft ramp for flame stabilization in high Reynolds number. The ramjet engine is subject to varying wall geometry to form converging, diverging, and nominal configurations in order to investigate the effects of mean pressure gradients on engine performance. High-speed particle image velocimetry (PIV) and chemiluminescence imaging diagnostics are simultaneously employed to capture the reacting flow fields and flame dynamics. Imposing a larger favorable pressure gradient is shown to shrink the recirculation zone and alter shear layer dynamics, which leads to increased drag on the cavity. Additionally, inducing a stronger favorable pressure gradient is shown to excite a shear layer instability mode, characterized by a Strouhal number of St=0.1. Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) results reveal that the instability mode is comprised of large-scale oscillations that occupy the entire cavity flow region, indicating that the excited oscillations are the manifestation of a global vortex shedding instability that occurs under non-reacting conditions. The results demonstrate that the performance and stability of the ramjet cavity flame can be influenced by the mean pressure gradient, which is vital for the design of high-speed air-breathing propulsion systems such as dual-mode scramjets.

Aeroacoustics and shear layer characteristics of confined cavities subject to low Mach number flow

Numerous engineering applications involve low Mach number flow in cavity aperture geometries, which can generate flow-excited acoustic oscillations and hence high amplitudes of noise and vibration. This is caused by the instability of the shear layer interacting with the acoustic modes of the system. In this study, we experimentally investigate ducted cylindrical cavities with aspect ratios (Depth/Diameter) of 0.5, 1, and 1.5 up to flow velocities of Mach 0.4. We examine the influence of the cavity confinement (Cavity Width/Duct Width) on the aeroacoustics response, as well as the downstream impingement behaviour of the shear layer. Rectangular and square cavities bearing similar geometric parameters are also investigated to compare the effect of the cavity shape on the shear layer dynamics and the aeroacoustics response. The results confirm resonance behaviour at frequencies well predicted by the theory, as well as Strouhal periodicities that agree with reported literature. However, cylindrical and square cavities with aspect ratio of 0.5 exhibit stronger dependence on the aspect ratio due to the interference of the recirculation region by the cavity floor, ultimately modifying the symmetry of the shear layer. This asymmetric flow pattern affects the velocity-dependent tones, generating much lower Strouhal numbers than the estimated values, and must be accounted for in equipment design. Moreover, Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurements further illustrate the spatial characteristics of the shear layer dynamics for the various shaped cavities. The visualizations demonstrate enhanced flow modulation at higher acoustic pressure amplitudes, as well as reveal the flow asymmetry and the three-dimensional shear layer topology in cylindrical and square cavities.

The linear-time-invariance notion of the Koopman analysis. Part 2. Dynamic Koopman modes, physics interpretations and phenomenological analysis of the prism wake

This serial work presents a linear-time-invariance (LTI) notion to the Koopman analysis, finding consistent and physically meaningful Koopman modes and addressing a long-standing problem of fluid mechanics: deterministically relating the fluid excitations and corresponding structure reactions. Part 1 (Li et al., Phys. Fluids, vol. 34, no. 12, p. 125136) developed the Koopman-LTI architecture and applied it to a pedagogical prism wake. By a systematic analytical procedure, the Koopman-LTI generated sampling-independent linear models that captured all the recurring dynamics embedded in the input data, finding six corresponding, orthogonal, and in-synch fluid–structure mechanisms. This Part 2 analyses the six modal duplets to underpin their physical implications, providing a phenomenological analysis of the subcritical prism wake. Visualizing the newly proposed dynamic Koopman modes, results show that two mechanisms at St1 = 0.1242 and St5 = 0.0497 describe shear layer dynamics, the associated Bérnard–Kármán shedding and turbulence production, which together overwhelm the upstream and crosswind walls by instigating a reattachment-type of reaction. The on-wind walls’ dynamical similarity renders them a spectrally unified fluid–structure interface. Another four harmonic counterparts, namely the subharmonic at St7 = 0.0683, the second harmonic at St3 = 0.2422, and two ultra-harmonics at St7 = 0.1739 and St13 = 0.1935, govern the downstream wall. Finally, this work discovered the vortex breathing phenomenon, describing the constant energy exchange in the wake's circulation-entrainment-deposition processes. With the Koopman-LTI, one may pinpoint the exact excitations responsible for a specific structure reaction, benefiting future investigations into fluid–structure interactions and nonlinear, stochastic systems.

Effect of tabs on the shear layer dynamics of a jet in cross-flow

Direct numerical simulations (DNS) of a jet in cross-flow (JICF) with a triangular tab at two positions are performed at jet-to-cross-flow velocity ratios of $R = 2$ and $4$ with a jet Reynolds number of 2000 based on the jet's bulk velocity and exit diameter. The DNS and dynamic mode decomposition show the sensitivity of the tab's effect on the jet upstream shear layer (USL) structure and cross-section to $R$ , echoing the experimental discoveries of Harris et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 918, 2021). Furthermore, DNS reveals that the presence of a tab placed on the upstream side of the nozzle significantly modifies the USL through production of streamwise vortices that curl around the spanwise vortex tubes originating from the primary instability of the USL. This provides an explanation for the improvement in mixing that has been associated with an upstream tab. The streamwise vortex structure shows remarkable similarities to the ‘strain-oriented vortex tubes’ observed for disturbed plane shear layers by Lasheras & Choi (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 189, 1988, pp. 53–86). For both $R$ cases, the USL instability is delayed, the jet penetration is reduced, and the jet cross-section is flattened, although the tab has a less pronounced effect on the USL structure at higher velocity ratios, where the formation of the streamwise vortices is delayed. In contrast, a tab placed 45 $^\circ$ from the upstream position produces significantly different effects compared with the upstream tab. At $R = 4$ , the jet cross-section is significantly skewed away from the tab and a tertiary vortex is formed, as observed in past studies of round JICFs at relatively high $R$ and low Reynolds numbers. The ability of the tab to produce a controllable steady-state tertiary vortex has implications for a variety of applications. The 45 $^\circ$ tab produces asymmetric effects in the wake of the jet at $R = 2$ , but the effect on the jet cross-section is much smaller, highlighting the sensitivity of jets at high $R$ to asymmetric perturbations.

Mechanisms of wake asymmetry and secondary structures behind low aspect-ratio wall-mounted prisms

The wake of a wall-mounted finite prism is numerically studied and characterized with an aspect ratio (height-to-width) of$1$and varying depth ratios (length to width) of between$0.016$and$4$at Reynolds numbers of 50–500. The prism is immersed in a laminar boundary layer. The minimum depth ratio considered here accounts for the special case of a wall-mounted very thin prism (similar to a flat plate), which is used to establish the mechanism and evolution of the wake associated with free-end effects and the shear-layer dynamics in small aspect-ratio prisms. The onset of an unsteady wake behind a very thin prism at a Reynolds number of$200$is characterized by symmetric shedding of hairpin-like vortices. A unique asymmetric wake pattern appears at lower depth ratios starting at a Reynolds number of 250, which transitions to an symmetric wake with increasing depth ratio. The threshold depth ratio for this symmetric transition increases with Reynolds number. The asymmetric wake results from alternate shear-layer peel-off from either side of the prism, which itself is attributed to the out-of-phase shedding of tip vortices at a lower Strouhal number ($St_{sh}/2$) that interact with the detaching side shear layers. Alternate shedding of tip vortices form secondary vortex structures that are fed by the excess vorticity resulting from shear-layer detachment from either side of the prism. Increasing the depth ratio leads to simultaneous shedding of the tip vortices, which restores the commonly observed wake symmetric patterns. Thus, we identify and characterize the formation and interaction mechanisms of symmetric and asymmetric wakes during the transition process with increasing Reynolds number for different depth-ratio prisms.

Dynamics of Three-Dimensional Shock-Wave/Boundary-Layer Interactions

Advances in measuring and understanding separated, nominally two-dimensional (2D) shock-wave/turbulent-boundary-layer interactions (STBLI) have triggered recent campaigns focused on three-dimensional (3D) STBLI, which display far greater configuration diversity. Nonetheless, unifying properties emerge for semi-infinite interactions, taking the form of conical asymptotic behavior where shock-generator specifics become insignificant. The contrast between 2D and 3D separation is substantial; the skewed vortical structure of 3D STBLI reflects the essentially 2D influence of the boundary layer on the 3D character of the swept shock. As with 2D STBLI, conical interactions engender prominent spectral content below that of the turbulent boundary layer. However, the uniform separation length scale, which is crucial to normalizing the lowest-frequency dynamics in 2D STBLI, is absent. Comparatively, the spectra of 3D STBLI are more representative of the mid-frequency, convective, shear-layer dynamics in 2D, while phenomena associated with 2D separation-shock breathing are muted. Asymptotic behavior breaks down in many regions important to 3D-STBLI dynamics, occurring in a configuration-dependent manner. Aspects of inceptive regions near shock generators and symmetry planes are reviewed. Focused efforts toward 3D modal and nonmodalanalyses, moving-shock/boundary-layer interactions, fluid/structure interactions, and flow control are suggested as directions for future work.

Dynamics of mixing flow with double-layer density stratification: Enstrophy and vortical structures

Previous studies on stratified shear layers involving two streams with different densities have been conducted under the Boussinesq approximation, while the combined effect of stratified instability and mean shear in relation to multi-layer density stratification induced by scalar fields remains an unresolved fundamental question. In this paper, the shear-driven mixing flow involving initial double-layer density interfaces due to the compositional differences are numerically investigated, in which the mean shear interacts with Rayleigh–Taylor instability (RTI). Since its critical role in dynamics of shear layers and scalar transport, we focus on the evolution of entrophy and vortical structures. We find that the dynamics of mixing layers are determined by the mean shear and the distance between the initial density stratification. The mean shear and the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability dominate the evolution of shear layers at the initial stage. The increase in mean shear, therefore, is favorable for turbulent mixing, irrespective of effect of RTI. However, once the transition of turbulence occurs, the mean shear becomes weaker and RTI becomes prominent. This promotes the destruction of hairpin vortex and generation of vortex tube. In addition, the interaction of mean shear with RTI becomes weaker with increasing distance between initial density stratification. Furthermore, the viscous dissipation of enstrophy is larger than enstrophy production in the turbulent region due to the effect of RTI. The baroclinic term has the larger contribution in the turbulent region than near the turbulent/non-turbulent interface, which is different from the results of stably stratified flow under the Boussinesq approximation.

Shear-layer dynamics at the interface of parallel Couette flows

This article aims to make a detailed analysis of co-flowing plane Couette flows. Particularly, the variation of flow quantities from the turbulent to non-turbulent region is studied. While the enstrophy exhibits a sharp jump, the other quantities (e.g., mean velocity, Reynolds normal stress, and kinetic energy) show a continuous variation across the interface. The budget analysis of Reynolds normal stresses reveals that the terms playing a key role in turbulence transportation vary depending on the Reynolds normal stress under study. The terms production, diffusion, and redistribution play an important role in streamwise Reynolds stress (u′u′¯). In the spanwise Reynolds stress (v′v′¯), the diffusion terms play a significant role. In the wall-normal Reynolds stress (w′w′¯), only the redistribution term is significant. The influence of one flow over another in the co-flow state was observed through the additional mean velocity and Reynolds normal stress found in the system compared to a standard plane Couette flow (pCf). Comparing the co-flow system with a conventional pCf system, the former exhibits greater vorticity, vortex stretching, and kinetic energy. A detailed analysis on the geometry and topology of flow structures was studied using flow invariants.

Experimental Study Of The Interaction Between A Turbulent Flame And A Cooling Air Film

The current experimental study is focused on the analysis of the interactions between a V-shaped lean turbulent premixed methane-air flame and a parietal cooling air film generated by means of a splash-cooling system. The flame structure, the reactive aerodynamics and the wall temperature are simultaneously studied by implementing planar laser-induced fluorescence of the OH radical (OH-PLIF), reactive particle image velocimetry (PIV) and surface intensity-ratio phosphor thermometry (PT). Results show that the mean flow field and the mean flame topology significantly differs according to the level of blowing ratio. Further joint correlations of experimental measurements highlight various FCAI regimes. For blowing ratios below unity, a common flame-wall interaction process occurs and the air film has a limited influence on the flame dynamics. Increasing the blowing ratio enables to establish a cooling air film at the wall. Though it effectively increases the level of thermal protection, it does not have much influence on the flame topology. Eventually, for larger blowing ratios, the flame dynamics is piloted by the shear layer dynamics, associated with strong flow strain. The flame is pushed away from the wall and is located in the outer region of the shear layer. The cooling effectiveness is not improved anymore and shows no more dependencies with the blowing ratio.

Combustion and flame position impacts on shear layer dynamics in a reacting jet in cross-flow

This study experimentally investigates reacting jets in cross-flow (RJICF), considering flame/shear layer offset, momentum flux ratio ( $J$ ) and density ratio ( $S$ ) effects. These results demonstrate that non-reacting JICF and RJICF can exhibit very similar or completely different dynamics and controlling physics, depending upon streamwise and radial flame location. Consistent with prior measurements of Getsinger et al. (Exp. Fluids, vol. 53 (3), 2012, pp. 783–801), spatial amplification rates of shear layer vortex (SLV) structures increased with decreasing $S$ for non-reacting cases. Similar $S$ dependencies exist for reacting cases in which the flame lay outside the jet shear layer, whose flow topology is also quite similar to non-reacting cases, albeit with reduced SLV growth rates. However, although the reacting cases have lower growth rates, these SLV structures ultimately reach approximately the same peak strength as in the non-reacting cases. Finally, the SLV decay rate in both non-reacting and reacting cases was found to similarly scale inversely with the initial SLV growth rate. As such, primarily inertial mechanisms govern SLV growth and decay for reacting cases where the flame lies outside the shear layer. In contrast, very different behaviour is exhibited by reacting cases where the flame lies inside the shear layer, where the locally increased viscosity exerts significant influences. In these reacting cases, SLV roll-up is completely suppressed and the entire jet column undulates over a long length scale relative to the jet diameter. As such, the relative roles of inertial and viscous mechanisms in controlling combustion influences on the SLV dynamics, changes markedly with shear layer–flame offset.

Experiments on flow past cavity and the application of modal decomposition techniques

In this work, Mach 1.8 flow over a shallow open cavity is studied through time-resolved schlieren images as well as unsteady pressure measurements respectively. Additionally, the cavity shear layer dynamics are explored using modal decomposition techniques namely; proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) and spectral proper orthogonal decomposition (SPOD). The results display that the cavity undergoes a self-sustaining oscillation with a number of modes/tones that are closely related to the modified Rossiter relation. Depending on the cavity oscillation, the time-resolved images reveal various complex flow features. Through modal analysis, the shear layer structures which are responsible for the cavity oscillation are identified. It is understood that POD requires several hundreds of modes to capture 67.3% of the total intensity for resembling the cavity flow field, while SPOD shows 65.7% of the total intensity is available in the 1st mode to reconstruct the cavity flow field. Further, modal analyses have demonstrated that cavity oscillatory frequencies are very similar to unsteady pressure measurement and the modified Rossiter relation. We confirmed that, both these techniques can be successfully applied to cavity flows and are complementary.

Low Reynolds number stall flutter of a linear cascade with large amplitudes at low reduced frequencies: Unsteady loads and flow features

In this paper, we report on an experimental investigation of stall flutter of a linear cascade undergoing large amplitude heave oscillations (≈ 10% of chord) at low reduced frequencies (k<0.1) and at low Reynolds number (Re≈50,000). Three blade incidence cases are studied representing light, moderate, and deep stall conditions of the cascade. Simultaneous measurements of energy transfer to the blade using a load cell, and flow field measurements using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) are carried out while the blades in the cascade are allowed to perform large amplitude heaving oscillations at the prescribed reduced frequency (k) and Inter Blade Phase angle (σ). The resulting normalized energy transfer values (CE¯) indicate that the cascade becomes unstable at low k values for a range of σ values with the range of σ and k within the unstable region increasing as the cascade is pushed deeper into stall. The energy transfer variation with k and σ, for a given blade incidence, are observed to fit the empirical model CE¯=a(k)+b(k)sin(σ+c(k)) with the terms a and c corresponding to quadratic and linear functions of k for all the incidence cases. At very low k values (k∼0.03), the quadratic term is small, and the energy transfer curves are observed to be broadly consistent with the trends reported by Corral and Vega (2016a), with the terms a(k) and c(k) being linear and b(k) being a constant. As the cascade is pushed gradually deeper into stall, the term b(k), which represents the influence of adjacent blades, is observed to go from being nearly a constant value with k for light stall, to a quadratic function of k at deep stall. More importantly, the deviation of b from being a constant is observed to occur at lower k values as the cascade goes deeper into stall. These results indicate that the additional quadratic terms need to be considered in the classical flutter based linear models for the case with deep stall and large oscillation amplitudes. The flow field measurements using PIV indicate the presence of a completely separated shear layer that is alternating between a state of being attached and detached to the blade surface during the oscillation cycle. The results show the shear layer phase (ϕs) with respect to the blade displacement to be close to the phase of the unsteady force (ϕ), thus helping to link the flutter behavior with the unsteady shear layer dynamics for stall flutter of a cascade at low Re.

Numerical Experiments and Analysis of Shock Wave Diffraction around Structures

Flows with adverse pressure gradients are more challenging to simulate numerically due to the boundary layer separation. However, the computational fluid dynamics have been used successfully to improve the understanding of the complex fluid dynamics of the transient shock-induced shear layers. The present research tries to investigate the eligibility of the inviscid, viscous (laminar), and turbulent solvers to find which ones reveal realistic results and agree best with the experiments. The solvers are based on the Euler, the Navier-Stokes equations, and the Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations coupled with the SST turbulence model, respectively. A mesh-adaptive high-order AUSM+ numerical scheme is applied. A systematic validation is performed with three cases focusing on the mechanism of the shock wave diffraction and the behavior of the shear layer. They are shock wave diffraction over a backward-facing step, convex 8o sharp splitter, and curved splitter. The investigation reveals that it is crucial to apply a turbulent solver for flows with separation due to the adverse pressure gradient. The lack of viscosity is responsible for the deviation of the inviscid and laminar resolutions from experiments. Moreover, the CFD simulation reveals tiny details about the shock wave diffraction around curved structure not appear in the experimental schlieren and shadowgraph.

Investigation of the shear-layer instabilities in supersonic impinging jets using dual-time velocity measurements

Motivated by applications in the propulsion industry, the fundamental study of phase-locked shear-layer instabilities in supersonic impinging jets has been of research interest for long time. While such flows have been experimentally investigated in various research studies using time-unresolved particle image velocimetry (PIV) techniques, the understanding of the shear-layer dynamics is limited, due to the absence of temporal information. Time-resolved PIV measurements for high-speed flows require a large bandwidth, which is challenging to achieve with the current state of technology. An alternate approach using time-unresolved double-PIV measurements is presented in the current study, which provides multiple samples of dual-time data, depicted in figure 1. Such data can be obtained using two co-visual PIV systems, triggered at a user-selectable time-offset, ∆t. As shown by Sikroria et al. (2020), the application of techniques like dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) on time-unresolved dual-time data provides valuable information about the flow structures governing the shear-layer instabilities. The experimental setup for such measurements in supersonic impinging jets, followed by the determination of the relevant dynamical flow structures from the data, will be presented in the conference.

Modeled Three‐Dimensional Currents and Eddies on an Alongshore‐Variable Barred Beach

AbstractCirculation in the nearshore region, which is critical for material transport along the coast and between the surf zone and the inner shelf, includes strong vortical motions. The horizontal length scales and vertical structure associated with vortical motions are not well documented on alongshore‐variable beaches. Here, a three‐dimensional phase‐resolving numerical model, Simulating WAves till SHore (SWASH), is compared with surfzone waves and flows on a barred beach, and is used to investigate surfzone eddies. Model simulations with measured bathymetry reproduce trends in the mean surfzone circulation patterns, including alongshore currents and rip current circulation cells observed for offshore wave heights from 0.5 to 2.0 m and incident wave directions from 0 to 15° relative to shore normal. The length scales of simulated eddies, quantified using the alongshore wavenumber spectra of vertical vorticity, suggest that increasing wave directional spread intensifies small‐scale eddies ((10) m). Simulations with bathymetric variability ranging from alongshore uniform to highly alongshore variable indicate that large‐scale eddies ((100) m) may be enhanced by surfzone bathymetric variability, whereas small‐scale eddies ((10) m) are less dependent on bathymetric variability. The simulated vertical dependence of the magnitude and mean length scale (centroid) of the alongshore wavenumber spectra of vertical vorticity and very low‐frequency (f ≈ 0.005 Hz) currents is weak in the outer surf zone, and decreases toward the shoreline. The vertical dependence in the simulations may be affected by the vertical structure of turbulence, mean shear, and bottom boundary layer dynamics.

Numerical study of hole formation in a thin flapping liquid sheet sheared by a fast gas stream

This study reports aerodynamics effects of a fully developed double-shear layer gas flow in the perforation and disintegration of a thin liquid sheet using three-dimensional numerical simulations. A double-shear layer gas flow, where a thin quiescent gas layer is sandwiched between the two fast moving gas layers, is first simulated up to a statistically steady state. The downstream dynamics of the gas shear layers shows vortex shedding and three-dimensional rib-like vortical structures, similar to the wake of a bluff body. This gas flow is then used as the initial condition for a liquid-gas simulation, where the liquid phase is sandwiched by the top and bottom fast gas streams. A thin liquid sheet with a thickness of 25 μm is considered using air/water conditions. The liquid sheet oscillates and small holes, preceded by craters surrounded by ripples, are formed. The thinning of the liquid sheet, spanwise corrugations, and vortex separations within the liquid-gas boundary layer are shown to govern the dynamics of the liquid sheet. A localized pressure jump is also observed inside the liquid sheet and precedes the rupture of the liquid sheet by pushing the liquid away in the span direction. The holes formed subsequently grow in size, collide and merge with each other, and break the liquid sheet into multiple droplets.

The flow around a surface mounted cube: a characterization by time-resolved PIV, 3D Shake-The-Box and LBM simulation

The flow around a surface mounted cube with incoming turbulent or laminar boundary layer has been topic of many experimental and numerical investigations in the past decades. Despite its simple geometry the flow generates a set of complex vortical structures in front and around the cube, includes flow separation at the three front plane edges with corresponding subsequent shear layer dynamics enveloping recirculation zones. Downstream of the cube a large unsteady flow separation region is present which is associated with typical quasi-periodic bluff-body wake dynamics. Therefore the flow configuration is well suited to enhance the understanding of similar unsteady and separated flow phenomena in many aerodynamic and engineering applications. In the present experimental investigation we aim at resolving a large spectrum of spatial and temporal scales in the flow around a cube with incoming laminar and turbulent boundary layers by using the most recent developments of dense 3D Lagrangian particle tracking (LPT) and high resolution TR-PIV for Reynolds numbers based on cube size in the range text {Re}_H = U_infty ,H,nu ^{-1} = 2000 - 8000. The results documented in the present paper consist of snapshots and the analysis of long time-series of highly resolved 3D and 2D velocity fields suited to enhance the understanding of coherent structure dynamics and of corresponding statistical Lagrangian and Eulerian flow properties. Premultiplied velocity spectra and 3D pressure distributions are calculated and discussed as well. Finally, the measurement data is compared to results obtained with a simulation based on the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM).Graphic abstract