Hostname: page-component-5c6d5d7d68-wbk2r Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-08-07T16:14:40.199Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

An Investigation of Turbulent Boundary Layer on a Flat Plate With a Small Step Change in Surface Roughness

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 June 2016

P.A. Aswatha Narayana*
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Mechanics, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras
Get access

Summary

The response of turbulent boundary layer to sudden change in surface roughness have been studied experimentally. Mean velocity measurements have been made in the boundary layer on a flat plate, downstream of a small step change in surface roughness under 3 different pressure gradients. The surface upstream of the step consisted of ‘k* type ‘large roughness’ wall (or ‘small roughness’ wall) and downstream of the step consisted of smooth surface (or ‘small roughness’ wall). Velocity profiles after the step change have been analysed on the basis of the two layer model. The inner region responds very quickly to the new boundary condition while the outer region takes more time to attain equilibrium or a state of local self-preservation. The skin-friction coefficient initially increased after the step change and gradually reached towards a constant value except for a particular roughness combination under adverse pressure gradient wherein the change in the roughness function is gradual over the transition.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Aeronautical Society. 1980

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1 Tani, Y., Review of some experimental results on the response of a turbulent boundary layer to sudden perturbations. AFOSR-IFP Stanford Conference on Computation of turbulent boundary layers, vol. 1 p. 483, 1968.Google Scholar
2 Plate, E.J., Aerodynamic characteristics of atmospheric boundary layers, AEC critical review series U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, 1971.Google Scholar
3 Antonia, R.A. and Luxton, R.E., The response of a turbulent boundary layer to a step change in surface roughness, smooth to rough, JFM, vol. 48 p. 721, 1971.Google Scholar
4 Antonia, R.A. and Luxton, R.E., The response of a turbulent boundary layer to a step change in surface roughness, rough to smooth, JFM, vol. 53 p. 737, 1972.Google Scholar
5 Antonia, R.A. and Wood, D.K., Calculation of a turbulent boundary layer downstream of a small step change in surface roughness, Aeronautical Quarterly, vol. 26 p. 202, 1975.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6 Taylor, R.J., Small scale advection and neutral wind profile, JFM, vol. 34 p. 529, 1962.Google Scholar
7 Schofield, W.H., Measurements in adverse pressure gradient turbulent boundary layers with a step change in surface roughness, JFM, vol. 70 p. 573, 1975.Google Scholar
8 Aswatha Narayana, P.A., An experimental investigation of turbulent boundary layers over smooth and rough surfaces, Delft University of Technology, Report LR-235, 1977.Google Scholar
9 Elsenaar, A. and van den Berg, B., Measurements in a turbulent boundary layer on a flat plate with and without an initial region of surface roughness, NLR Netherlands, report AI-072-012, 1972.Google Scholar
10 Liu, C.K., Kline, S.J. and Johnston, J.P., An experimental study of turbulent boundary layer on rough walls, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Report MD-15, 1966.Google Scholar
11 Perry, A.E. and Joubert, P.N., Rough wall boundary layers in adverse pressure gradients, JFM, vol. 17 p. 193, 1963.Google Scholar
12 Clauser, F.H., Turbulent boundary layers in adverse pressure gradients, Journal of Aeronautical Sciences, vol. 21 p. 91, 1954.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
13 Townsend, A.A., Equilibrium layers and wall turbulence, JFM, vol. 11 p. 97, 1961.Google Scholar
14 Mellor, G.L. and Gibson, D.M., Equilibrium layers and wall turbulence, JFM, vol. 24 p. 225, 1966.Google Scholar
15 Nash, J.F., AGARDOgraph, No. 97 p. 253, 1965 (not seen in the original, quoted in Ref. 7).Google Scholar
16 Bradley, E.F., A micrometeorological study of velocity profiles and surface drag in the region modified by a change in surface roughness, Quart. J.R. Meteorological Society, vol. 94 p. 361, 1968.Google Scholar