Understanding Transition to Turbulence in Shear Layers.

Abstract

Critical examination of experimental, analytical and numerical research on shear-flow instabilities evolving into turbulence led to a conceptual framework consistent with reliable observations. Mechanically driven shear layers fall into four classes: boundary layers, confined duct flows, free shear layers, and flows in annuli between cylinders driven by the rotation of the inner cylinder. These classes correspond to distinct, initially rather homogeneous vorticity distributions. Each instability restructures these distributions; it dehomogenizes them spatially, while the very slow viscous effects smooth the largest gradients. The restructuring continues even after the shear layers become turbulent.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1983
Accession Number
ADA134796

Entities

People

  • M. V. Morkovin

Organizations

  • Illinois Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Boundary Layer
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • Computational Science
  • Convection
  • Differential Equations
  • Flow Visualization
  • Fluid Dynamics
  • Fluid Mechanics
  • Geometry
  • Hydrodynamics
  • Mechanical Properties
  • Physics Laboratories
  • Reynolds Number
  • Three Dimensional
  • Turbulent Flow
  • Turbulent Mixing
  • Two Dimensional

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science / Meteorology, specifically Wind Wave Turbulence.
  • Systems Analysis and Design