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At least 55 records · Page 3

A Comparison of Theory and Experiment for High-speed Free-molecule Flow

A comparison is made of free-molecule-flow theory with the results of wind-tunnel tests performed to determine the drag and temperature-rise characteristics of a transverse circular cylinder. The measured values of the cylinder center-point temperature confirmed the salient point of the heat-transfer analysis which was the prediction that an insulated cylinder would attain a temperature higher than the stagnation temperature of the stream. Good agreement was obtained between the theoretical and the experimental values for the drag coefficient.

Stalder, Jackson R↗

Coherent motion in excited free shear flows

The application of the inviscid instability approach to externally excited turbulent free shear flows at high Reynolds numbers is explored. Attention is given to the cases of a small-deficit plane turbulent wake, a plane turbulent jet, an axisymmetric jet, the nonlinear evolution of instabilities in free shear flows, the concept of the 'preferred mode', vortex pairing in turbulent mixing layers, and experimental results for the control of free turbulent shear layers. The special features often attributed to pairing or to the preferred mode are found to be difficult to comprehend; the concept of feedback requires further substantiation in the case of incompressible flow.

Wygnanski, Israel J.↗

An analysis of laminar free-convection flow and heat transfer about a flat plate paralled to the direction of the generating body force

The free-convection flow and heat transfer (generated by a body force) about a flat plate parallel to the direction of the body force are formally analyzed and the type of flow is found to be dependent on the Grashof number alone. For large Grashof numbers (which are of interest in aeronautics), the flow is of the boundary-layer type and the problem is reduced in a formal manner, which is analogous to Prandtl's forced-flow boundary-layer theory, to the simultaneous solution of two ordinary differential equations subject to the proper boundary conditions. Velocity and temperature distributions for Prandtl numbers of 0.01, 0.72, 0.733, 1, 1, 10, 100, and 1000 are computed, and it is shown that velocities and Nusselt numbers of the order of magnitude of those encountered in forced-convection flows may be obtained in free-convection flows. The theoretical and experimental velocity and temperature distributions are in good agreement. A flow and a heat-transfer parameter, from which the important physical quantities such as shear stress and heat-transfer rate can be computed, are derived as functions of Prandtl number alone.

Ostrach, Simon↗

Free shear flows - Organized structures and effects of excitation

Recent studies of free shear flows are reviewed. Included are experimental studies of: excited and unexcited circular and elliptic jets, plane wake and mixing layers, and effects of excitation on augmentation and reduction of jet turbulence and jet noise. It is shown that proper excitation can produce both large increases and large decreases in turbulence and Reynolds stress level, mixing and noise generation, suggesting promising technological applications of self-excited jets such as whistler jets. It is also argued that 'ribs' or longitudinal vortices play an important role in production and mixing in free, and perhaps all, turbulent shear flows. The 'cut-and-connect' interaction of vortical structures is proposed as a key mechanism for coherent structure breakdown, mixing, turbulence production, and aerodynamic noise generation. A simple analysis of the viscous vorticity equation using symmetry of configurations of vortical structures before and after the interaction gives realistic predictions.

Hussain, A. K. F.↗

Bounded free shear flows - Linear and nonlinear growth

The physics of bounded free shear flows is studied at supersonic Mach numbers. Wall locations are at 1500 momentum thicknesses away from the shear layer center line. Intrinsic to this flow are high multiplicities of supersonic modes not present in the unbounded case. It is seen that these supersonic modes are resistant to subharmonic growth, a necessary precursor for efficient mixing. Previous results (Eberhardt et al., 1988) with wall locations at less than one half momentum thickness away from the shear layer center indicate that modes resembling channel modes (maximum amplification at the walls) did not roll up in numerical simulations. The similarity between these two cases is pointed out.

Macaraeg, Michele G.↗

A method for obtaining a statistically stationary turbulent free shear flow

The long-term goal of the current research is the study of Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) as a tool for aeroacoustics. New algorithms and developments in computer hardware are making possible a new generation of tools for aeroacoustic predictions, which rely on the physics of the flow rather than empirical knowledge. LES, in conjunction with an acoustic analogy, holds the promise of predicting the statistics of noise radiated to the far-field of a turbulent flow. LES's predictive ability will be tested through extensive comparison of acoustic predictions based on a Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS) and LES of the same flow, as well as a priori testing of DNS results. The method presented here is aimed at allowing simulation of a turbulent flow field that is both simple and amenable to acoustic predictions. A free shear flow is homogeneous in both the streamwise and spanwise directions and which is statistically stationary will be simulated using equations based on the Navier-Stokes equations with a small number of added terms. Studying a free shear flow eliminates the need to consider flow-surface interactions as an acoustic source. The homogeneous directions and the flow's statistically stationary nature greatly simplify the application of an acoustic analogy.

Timson, Stephen F.↗