Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-swr86 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-18T17:18:09.806Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Development of the turbulent near wake of a tapered thick flat plate

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 April 2006

A. Haji-Haidari
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015, USA
C. R. Smith
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015, USA

Abstract

The velocity field and turbulence structure in the near wake of a thick flat plate with a tapered trailing-edge geometry are examined using both hydrogen-bubble flow visualization and hot-film anemometry measurements. Tests were conducted for Re1 = 8.5 × 105 in the region 0 < x+ < 6400 behind the trailing edge. The probe and visualization results indicate a similarity between both (i) velocity and turbulence structure variations wih x+ in the near wake, and (ii) the corresponding changes in similar flow characteristics with y+ within a turbulent boundary layer. In particular, visualization data in the vicinity of the wake centreline reveal the existence of strong streamwise flow structures in the region close (x+ < 270) to the trailing edge. The streamwise orientation of the observed structures diminishes as x+ increases. From hot-film measurements, two separate regions along the wake centreline can be distinguished: (i) a linear growth region which extends over 0 < x+ < 100, wherein the centreline velocity varies linearly with x+; and (ii) a logarithmic growth region for x+ > 270, wherein the centreline velocity varies as log x+. The similarity in behaviour between these regions and the comparable wall region of a turbulent boundary layer suggests the existence of a common functionality. This similarity is demonstrated by a simple linear relationship of the form y+ = Kx+, which is shown to approximately collapse the velocity behaviour both across a turbulent boundary layer and along the wake centreline to a unified set of empirical relationships.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 1988 Cambridge University Press

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

Alber, I. E. 1980 Turbulent wake of a thin flat plate. AIAA J. 18, 10441051.Google Scholar
Andreopoulos, J. & Bradshaw, P. 1980 Measurement of interacting turbulent shear layers in the near wake of a flat plate. J. Fluid Mech. 100, 639668.Google Scholar
Bogucz, E. A. & Walker, J. D. A. 1988 The turbulent near wake at a sharp trailing edge. J. Fluid Mech. (accepted).Google Scholar
Chevray, R. & Kovasznay, L. S. G. 1969 Turbulence measurements in the wake of a thin flat plate. AIAA J. 7, 16411643.Google Scholar
Goldstein, S. 1930 Concerning some solutions of the boundary layer equations in hydrodynamics. Proc. Camb. Phil. Soc. 26, 130.Google Scholar
Haji-haidari, A. & Smith, C. R. 1984 Comparative study of the development of the turbulent near-wake behind a thick flat plate with both a circular and tapered trailing edge geometry. Rep. FM-6. Dept. of Mech. Engrg & Mech., Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA.
Johansen, J. B. & Smith, C. R. 1968 The effect of cylindrical surface modifications on turbulent boundary layers. AIAA J. 24, 10811087.Google Scholar
Kline, S. J., Reynolds, W. C., Schraub, F. A. & Runstadler, P. W. 1967 The structure of turbulent boundary layers. J. Fluid Mech. 30, 741773.Google Scholar
Nakagawa, H. & Nezu, I. 1981 Structure of space-time correlations of bursting phenomena in an open-channel flow. J. Fluid Mech. 104, 143.Google Scholar
Pot, P. J. 1979 A wake boundary layer mixing experiment. In Proc. Turbulent Shear Flow 2 (ed. L. J. S. Bradbury, F. Durst, B. E. Launder, F. W. Schmidt & J. H. Whitelaw), pp. 6.66.11. Springer.
Ramaprian, B. R., Patel, V. C. & Sastry, M. S. 1982 The symmetric turbulent wake of a flat plate. AIAA J. 20, 12281235.Google Scholar
Smith, C. R. 1984 A synthesized model of the near-wall behavior in turbulent boundary layer. In Eighth Symp. on Turbulence (ed. G. K. Patterson & J. L. Zakin), pp. 299325. Dept. of Chem. Engrg, University of Missouri-Rolla.
Smith, C. R. & Metzler, S. P. 1983 The characteristics of low-speed streaks in the near-wall region of a turbulent boundary layer. J. Fluid Mech. 129, 2754.Google Scholar
Yuhas, L. J. & Walker, J. D. A. 1982 An optimization technique for the development of a two-dimensional turbulent boundary layer models. AFOSR-TR-82-0417.