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Isotropy of the small scales of turbulence at low Reynolds number

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 April 2006

J. Kim  and
R. A. Antonia
J. Kim
Affiliation:
Center for Turbulence Research, NASA-Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
R. A. Antonia
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Newcastle, New South Wales, 2308, Australia
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Abstract

Spectral local isotropy tests are applied to direct numerical simulation data, mainly at the centreline of a fully developed turbulent channel flow. Despite the small Reynolds number of the simulation, the high-wavenumber behaviour of velocity and vorticity spectra is consistent with local isotropy. This consistency is verified by the relationship between streamwise wavenumber spectra and spanwise wavenumber spectra. The high-wavenumber behaviour of the pressure spectrum is also consistent with local isotropy and compares favourably with the calculation of Batchelor (1951), which assumes isotropy and joint normality of the velocity field at two points in space. The latter assumption is validated by the shape but not the magnitude of the quadruple correlation of the streamwise velocity fluctuation at small separations. There is only partial support for local spectral isotropy away from the centreline as the magnitude of the mean strain rate increases.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 251 , June 1993 , pp. 219 - 238
Copyright
© 1993 Cambridge University Press

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