The effects of streamwise vortices on transition in the plane channel Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • The effect of streamwise vorticity on the three-dimensional breakdown of two-dimensional TollmienSchlichting waves in a plane-channel flow is studied via direct numerical simulation. Streamwise vortices of the strength inherent to most transition experiments are shown to alter the relative importance of the subharmonic and fundamental modes and to explain discrepancies observed between theory, previous computations, and experiments in both the plane channel and in the flat-plate boundary layer. It is shown that without the inclusion of the vortices, the computations support the theory; with inclusion of the vortices, the computations support the experiments. This work demonstrates the importance of combining theory, experiments, and computations in the study of transition in both internal and external applications.

published proceedings

  • Physics of Fluids

author list (cited authors)

  • Singer, B. A., Reed, H. L., & Ferziger, J. H.

citation count

  • 24

complete list of authors

  • Singer, Bart A||Reed, Helen L||Ferziger, Joel H

publication date

  • December 1989