Free-stream turbulence and the development of cross-flow disturbances Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • AbstractThe cross-flow instability that arises in swept-wing boundary layers has resisted attempts to describe the path from disturbance initiation to transition. Following concerted research efforts, surface roughness and free-stream turbulence have been identified as the leading providers of initial disturbances for cross-flow instability growth. Although a significant body of work examines the role of free-stream turbulence in the cross-flow problem, the data more relevant to the flight environment (turbulence intensities less than 0.07 %) are sparse. A series of recent experiments indicates that variations within this range may affect the initiation or growth of cross-flow instability amplitudes, hindering comparison among results obtained in different disturbance environments. To address this problem, a series of wind tunnel experiments is performed in which the free-stream turbulence intensity is varied between 0.02 % and 0.2 % of free-stream velocity,${U}_{infty } $. Measurements of the stationary and travelling mode amplitudes are made in the boundary layer of a 1.83m chord,$45{{}^circ} $swept-wing model. These results are compared to those of similar experiments at higher turbulence levels to broaden the current knowledge of this portion of the cross-flow problem. It is observed that both free-stream turbulence and surface roughness contribute to the initiation of unsteady disturbances, and that free-stream turbulence affects the development of both stationary and unsteady cross-flow disturbances. For the range tested, enhanced free-stream turbulence advances the transition location except when a subcritically spaced roughness array is employed.

published proceedings

  • JOURNAL OF FLUID MECHANICS

author list (cited authors)

  • Downs, R., & White, E. B.

citation count

  • 32

complete list of authors

  • Downs, Robert SIII||White, Edward B

publication date

  • November 2013