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Regeneration mechanisms of near-wall turbulence structures

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 April 2006

James M. Hamilton ,
John Kim  and
Fabian Waleffe
James M. Hamilton
Affiliation:
Center for Turbulence Research, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 andNASA-Ames Research Center, MS 202A-1, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA Present address: Molecular Devices Corp., 1311 Orleans Drive, Sunnyvale, CA 94089, USA.
John Kim
Affiliation:
Center for Turbulence Research, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 andNASA-Ames Research Center, MS 202A-1, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA Present address: Mechanical, Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering Department, University of California, Los Angeles, 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024–1597, USA.
Fabian Waleffe
Affiliation:
Center for Turbulence Research, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 andNASA-Ames Research Center, MS 202A-1, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA Present address: Department of Mathematics, Room 2–378, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
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Abstract

Direct numerical simulations of a highly constrained plane Couette flow are employed to study the dynamics of the structures found in the near-wall region of turbulent flows. Starting from a fully developed turbulent flow, the dimensions of the computational domain are reduced to near the minimum values which will sustain turbulence. A remarkably well-defined, quasi-cyclic and spatially organized process of regeneration of near-wall structures is observed. This process is composed of three distinct phases: formation of streaks by streamwise vortices, breakdown of the streaks, and regeneration of the streamwise vortices. Each phase sets the stage for the next, and these processes are analysed in detail. The most novel results concern vortex regeneration, which is found to be a direct result of the breakdown of streaks that were originally formed by the vortices, and particular emphasis is placed on this process. The spanwise width of the computational domain corresponds closely to the typically observed spanwise spacing of near-wall streaks. When the width of the domain is further reduced, turbulence is no longer sustained. It is suggested that the observed spacing arises because the time scales of streak formation, breakdown and vortex regeneration become mismatched when the streak spacing is too small, and the regeneration cycle at that scale is broken.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 287 , 25 March 1995 , pp. 317 - 348
Copyright
© 1995 Cambridge University Press

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