Investigation of scaling laws in a turbulent boundary layer flow with adverse pressure gradient using PIV

Abstract

We present an experimental investigation and data analysis of a turbulent boundary layer flow at a significant adverse pressure gradient at Reynolds number up to Re_θ = 10, 000. We combine large-scale particle image velocimetry (PIV) with microscopic PIV for measuring the near wall region including the viscous sublayer. We investigate scaling laws for the mean velocity and for the total shear stress in the inner part of the boundary layer. In the inner part the mean velocity can be fitted by a log-law. In the outer part of the inner layer the log-law ceases to be valid. Instead, a modified log-law provides a good fit, which is given in terms of the pressure gradient parameter and a parameter for the mean inertial effects. Finally we describe and assess a simple quantitative model for the total shear stress distribution which is local in wall-normal direction without streamwise history effects.

Keywords:

• turbulent boundary layer
• adverse pressure gradient
• law of the wall
• log-law

Acknowledgements

The authors are very grateful to Prof. Manhart and Prof. Skare for providing their data. The authors are also grateful to Prof. Rossow, Prof. Radespiel, Prof. Eckelmann and Prof. Nagib and to Prof. Herwig and his research group for valuable discussions and suggestions. Moreover, the valuable comments by the reviewers are gratefully acknowledged. Special thanks are to Dr A. Krumbein and Dr D. Schwamborn.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.