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At least 109 records · Page 6
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NASA NTRS1980

Wavelength selection and total growth of Gortler vortices

This paper investigates a wavelength selection mechanism under ideal and nonideal flow conditions. The conditions of the total streamwise growth of Gortler vortices generated under ideal and nonideal flow conditions and its effect on the laminar-turbulent transition process is also examined. The stabilizing effects of suction on the total growth of these vortices are analyzed. It is demonstrated that the wavelength selection mechanism and the total growth of the vortices are affected by the departures from ideal flow conditions. It is shown that under ideal flow conditions, a wavelength selection mechanism can be based on the maximum amplification rate of the disturbances. However, this mechanism is easily affected by the departures from ideal flow. The case of streamwise vorticity in the basic flow is analyzed and is shown to affect disturbances through a subharmonic resonance.

Floryan, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Further determination of the characteristics of magnetospheric plasma vortices with Isee 1 and 2

Further studies of the vortices in magnetospheric plasma flow with the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory/Max-Planck-Institut (LASL/MPI) fast plasma experiment on Isee 1 and 2 have revealed that the pattern of vortical flow has a wavelength of approximately 20-40 earth radii and moves tailward through the magnetosphere at speeds of several hundred kilometers per second. The tendency toward vorticity pervades the total breadth of the plasma sheet tailward of the dawn-dusk meridian. The sense of rotation of the plasma flow (as viewed from above the ecliptic plane) is clockwise in the morning side of the plasma sheet and counterclockwise in the evening side. The sense of rotation in the morning and evening boundary layers is reversed from that in the contiguous regions of the plasma sheet. The occurrence of vortical flow is independent of the level of geomagnetic activity but is associated with long-period geomagnetic pulsations.

Hones, E. W., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Evidence of imbedded vortices in a three-dimensional shear flow

Vortex phenomena encountered in an investigation of the streamwise development of the three-dimensional wake region behind the tip of a three-dimensional wedge model are reported. Pressure profiles were measured by pitot probes downstream of a tip with a nearly constant surface pressure level and a nearly continuous surface curvature in a blowdown air tunnel operating at Mach 6. Rather than the simple three-dimensional quasi-parallel shear flow expected, the measurements indicated the presence of a flow with large deficits in longitudinal pitot pressure, which are usually associated with the core region of quasi-steady longitudinal vortices. Vapor screen flow visualizations also support the presence of longitudinal vortices located primarily in the tip region and evidently forming in the vicinity of the wake neck. An increase in overall wake thickness by 100% is also observed. The origin of the vortices as quasi-steady Taylor-Gortler vortices generated in the concavely curved shear layer near the wake neck is considered. It is pointed out that the existence of longitudinal vortexes suggests that three-dimensional turbulence modeling may be much more difficult than previously supposed.

Morrisette, E. L.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Effect of streamwise vortices on Tollmien-Schlichting waves

The method of multiple scales is used to determine a first-order uniform expansion for the effect of counter-rotating steady streamwise vortices in growing boundary layers on oblique Tollmien-Schlichting waves. The results show that such vortices have a strong tendency to amplify oblique Tollmien-Schlichting waves having a spanwise wavelength that is twice the wavelength of the vortices. An analytical expression is derived for the growth rates of these waves. These exponential growth rates increase linearly with increasing amplitudes of the vortices. Numerical results are presented. They suggest that this mechanism may dominate the instability.

Nayfeh, A. H.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Numerical model of long-lived Jovian vortices

The extension of the measured zonal velocity profile into the adiabatic interior of Jupiter, while eddies and large oval structures are confined to a shallow stably-stratified upper layer, are assumed in a nonlinear numerical model of long-lived Jovian vortices. In agreement of the observed flows of Jupiter, each vortex is stationary with respect to the shear flow at a critical latitude that is close to the latitude of the vortex center. The solutions obtained are strongly nonlinear, in contrast to the solitary wave solutions that are the weakly nonlinear extensions of ultralong linear waves. The merging of two stable vortices upon collision, rather than the non-interaction predicted by solitary wave theory, is in keeping with Jovian vortex observations. It is suggested that long-lived vortices maintain themselves against dissipation by absorbing smaller vortices produced by convection.

Ingersoll, A. P.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Measurement of the structure of the streamwise vorticity field in a turbulent boundary-layer

A survey of measurements of vorticity in bounded turbulent shear flows is presented. It is shown that the measured rms streamwise vorticity is systematically too large by as much as 45% when measured with a four-sensor Kovasznay-type array. Instantaneous values can be much more in error. Therefore this probe should not be used to detect instantaneous vortical structures. New attempts to measure vorticity are described.

Wallace, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Navier-Stokes calculations for unsteady three-dimensional vortical flows in unbounded domains

Finite-difference Navier-Stokes calculations for unsteady, three-dimensional, incompressible, viscous flows induced by initial vorticity distributions are presented and discussed in this paper. The initial vorticity distributions are assumed to be embedded in a flow field of infinite extent that is quiescent at infinity. These vorticity distributions are typical of vortex rings and other closed vortical tubes or structures. Such structures are important elements in fluid flows such as jets, atmospheric convection and the far-field wakes of aircraft; studies of their interaction may aid in an understanding of complex fluid flows. The calculations employ a method recently proposed by Ting to approximate the infinite-domain boundary value problem with a finite boundary computational domain, and this method is shown to yield accurate three-dimensional results for reasonable expenditures of computer time. Because of the efficiency of the boundary condition technique and the resulting Navier-Stokes code, a 16-bit minicomputer with virtual memory was capable of performing the calculations for the unsteady motion of two obliquely colliding vortex rings. The results of these calculations are presented in the paper.

Chamberlain, J. P.↗
NASA NTRS1984

The inducement of planetary boundary layer mass convergence associated with varying vorticity beneath tropospheric wind maximum

The effects of the vorticity distribution are applied to study planetary boundary layer mass convergence beneath free tropospheric wind maximum. For given forcing by viscous and pressure gradient forces beneath a wind maximum, boundary layer cross stream mass transport is increased by anticyclonic vorticity on the right flank and decreased by cyclonic vorticity on the left flank. Such frictionally forced mass transport induces boundary layer mass convergence beneath the relative wind maximum. This result is related to the empirical rule that the most intense convection and severe weather frequently develop beneath the 500 mb zero relative vorticity isopleth.

Johnson, D. R.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Evolution of a vortical structure associated with the bursting event in a channel flow

The temporal evolution of a horseshoe vortex structure in a channel is investigated by a numerical simulation. A spectral numerical method is employed to integrate the time-dependent, three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations. The initial vortical structure is obtained by applying a conditional sampling technique to a data base generated from a direct simulation of a turbulent channel flow. The evolution of this vortical structure under the influence of the self-induced motion and the mean shear is presented. It is shown that the initial sheet-like vortical structure rolls up into a vortex tube as it is convected downstream. Turbulence structures associated with the vortex stretching are investigated. Production of vorticity stretching is high inside the vortex legs, although it is also substantial in the tip region and above the legs. High Reynolds shear stress is produced near the tip of the vortex.

Kim, J.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Experimental studies on Taylor-Goertler vortices

Taylor-Goertler vortices arise in boundary layer along concave surfaces due to centrifugal effects. These counter-rotating streamwise vortices are one of three known flow instabilities which lead to boundary layer transition. Coupled with Tollmien-Schlichting waves and cross flow vortices, Taylor-Goertler vortices can triggerr early transition to turbulence. The flow field patterns were studied by flow visualization using a sublimating chemical technique and a three component laser velocimeter was used to study the flow field in the test region. Results from these studies are given and briefly discussed.

Goglia, G. L.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Finite element techniques for the Navier-Stokes equations in the primitive variable formulation and the vorticity stream-function formulation

Finite element procedures for the Navier-Stokes equations in the primitive variable formulation and the vorticity stream-function formulation have been implemented. For both formulations, streamline-upwind/Petrov-Galerkin techniques are used for the discretization of the transport equations. The main problem associated with the vorticity stream-function formulation is the lack of boundary conditions for vorticity at solid surfaces. Here an implicit treatment of the vorticity at no-slip boundaries is incorporated in a predictor-multicorrector time integration scheme. For the primitive variable formulation, mixed finite-element approximations are used. A nine-node element and a four-node + bubble element have been implemented. The latter is shown to exhibit a checkerboard pressure mode and a numerical treatment for this spurious pressure mode is proposed. The two methods are compared from the points of view of simulating internal and external flows and the possibilities of extensions to three dimensions.

Glaisner, F.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Interactions of coupled acoustic and vortical instability

In the past, the acoustic combustion instability was studied independently of the hydrodynamic instability induced by vortex motions. This paper is intended to combine the two different sources of energy everywhere within the spatial domain and determine the effect of one upon the other. This can be achieved by calculating the mean flow velocities and vorticities and their fluctuating parts of velocities and vortices, as well as the fluctuating pressure. The Orr-Sommerfeld equation is utilized to determine the wavenumbers and unsteady stream functions from which vortically coupled acoustic instability growth constants are calculated. This process demonstrates that there are two different frequencies, acoustic and hydrodynamic, various combinations of which contribute to either damping or amplification. It is found that stability boundaries for coupled acoustic and vortical oscillations are somewhat similar to the classical hydrodynamic stability boundaries, but they occur in the form of multiple islands.

Chung, T. J.↗
NASA NTRS1988

Two-dimensional interaction of vortices with a blade

The problem of blade-vortex interaction is studied experimentally and numerically. Vortices are generated in the laboratory by pitching an airfoil upstream of the model. LDV measurements are obtained in the neighborhood of the leading edge of the airfoil. Ensemble-averaged velocity vector fields and vorticity contours are thus constructed. A vortex is modeled numerically by a cloud of discrete ideal point vortices. The problem is solved via a Joukowski transformation. The interaction of distributed vorticity with the leading edge of the airfoil is examined.

Poling, David R.↗
NASA NTRS1988

The fully nonlinear development of Goertler vortices in growing boundary layers

A combination of asymptotic and numerical methods is used to study the fully nonlinear development of small-wavelength Goertler vortices in a growing boundary layer. It is shown that the vortices spread out across the boundary layer, effectively driving the boundary layer, and that the mean flow adjusts so as to make the large-amplitude vortices locally neutral. In the region where the vortices exist, the mean flow is found to have a square-root profile, and the vortex velocity field can be written in closed form. The region of vortex activity is shown to ultimately include almost all of the original boundary layer and much of the free stream.

Hall, P.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Streamline-upwind/Petrov-Galerkin procedures for the vorticity-stream function form of the Navier-Stokes equations

The paper presents procedures for the solution of the Navier-Stokes equations in the vorticity-stream function form. The difficulties involved are related to the convection term in the vorticity transport equation and to the lack of boundary conditions for voritcity at no-slip surfaces. The use of a streamline-upwind/Petrov-Galerkin finite element formulation for the solution of the vorticity transport equation. In the present scheme, the weighting functions are dependent on both spatial and temporal discretizations. A proper numerical treatment of the boundary conditions leading to an implicit treatment of the vorticity at no-slip surfaces is presented. These procedures have successfully been employed to simulate various flows of engineering interest.

Tezduyar, T. E.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Pinning, flow and plastic deformation of flux vortices in high T(sub c) superconductors

In high temperature superconductor (HTSC) materials the vortices are highly mobile and flexible. This is reflected in different models of melt of a vortex lattice. Another aspect of the problem is stressed: an easy nucleation and high mobility of dislocations in the vortex lattice. Some models of plastic deformation of vortex lattice are considered as a result of its interaction with a real crystal structure. Depinning is interpreted as yield of plastic flow is vortex medium. Effect of macroscopic defects in crystal structures (pores, inclusions, grain and domain boundaries) is being considered in detail. Available experimental facts on magnetization and a critical current in HTSC and conventional superconductors are discussed from the points of view of depinning to vortices vs. plastic flow of vortices vs. plastic flow of vortices medium.

Roytburd, A.↗
NASA NTRS1989

The effects of streamwise vortices on transition in the plane channel

The effect of streamwise vorticity on the three-dimensional breakdown of two-dimensional Tollmien-Schlichting 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.

Singer, Bart A.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Reciprocal interactions of hairpin-shaped vortices and a boundary layer

The present effort simulates the flow dynamics resulting from hairpin-shaped vortices in a boundary layer through the solution of the time-dependent, three-dimensional, compressible Navier-Stokes equations. Two simulations have been carried out. In the first case, the initial condition contains only one imposed hairpin-shaped vortex. In the second case, there are two incipient vortices separated by a short distance in the streamwise direction. The results add to the detailed understanding of the dynamic role of hairpin vortices in the entrainment, production and continual replenishment of turbulent structure, as well as the process of the interaction, intertwining and eventual conglomeration of vortices in boundary layers.

Liu, N.-S.↗