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Evolution of three-dimensional coherent structures in a flat-plate boundary layer

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 April 2006

Dietmar Rempfer  and
Hermann F. Fasel
Dietmar Rempfer
Affiliation:
Institut für Aerodynamik und Gasdynamik, Universität Stuttgart, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
Hermann F. Fasel
Affiliation:
Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
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Abstract

Using a data base generated by a numerical simulation, the three-dimensional coherent structures of a transitional, spatially evolving boundary layer are determined and their spatio-temporal behaviour is investigated in detail. The coherent structures are calculated by the proper orthogonal decomposition method (POD), which leads to an expansion of the flow field variables into Karhunen-Loéve eigenfunctions. It is shown that the dynamical coherent structures of the flat-plate boundary layer can be described by pairs of eigenfunctions that contain complete information on the spatial evolution of the structures. It is further demonstrated that first-order coherent structures determined by POD correspond to structures that are observed in experiments. In the region of the boundary layer where the spike signals of transition occur, higher-order coherent structures also play an essential role. By considering these higher-order structures as well as their dynamical behaviour in time, a compact description of the flow phenomena in the boundary layer can be obtained. The description of the events occurring at the spike stages of the transitional boundary layer shows, from a coherent structures point of view, striking similarities to the bursting event of fully turbulent boundary layers.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 260 , 10 February 1994 , pp. 351 - 375
Copyright
© 1994 Cambridge University Press

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