Abstract
Flow over surface obstructions can produce significantly large wind shears such that adverse flying conditions can occur for aeronautical systems (helicopters, V/STOL vehicles, etc.). The purpose of this analysis is to determine the kinds of flow fields that can result from surface obstructions in an otherwise horizontally homogeneous statistically stationary flow. The technique is based on the boundary-layer/Boussinesq-approximated equations of motion. The pressure gradient resulting from the surface obstruction is that consistent with a potential flow over a two-dimensional cylinder with elliptical cross-section, an approach commonly used for boundary-layer analyses in the engineering community. The dissipative effects of atmospheric turbulence on the mean flow are represented with eddy-viscosity models of the Reynolds stresses. The upstream flow is a neutral one and is characterized by a logarithmic profile for the mean wind. The following conclusions result from the analysis: (1) localized maxima in wind speed occur at the top of a surface obstruction, which are expected in physically real flow situations, (2) an increase in the elliptical aspect ratio decreases the wind speed within the boundary layer at the top of the ellipse and returns it to the logarithmic distribution characteristic of undisturbed flow, (3) increases in surface roughness affect the flow by decreasing the velocity in the boundary layer, with the most pronounced effect occurring near the surface of the smaller aspect-ratio ellipse, (4) Reynolds number has a negligible effect on the overall flow for the range of Reynolds numbers considered in this study, (5) a decrease in the elliptical aspect ratio and an increase in the surface roughness cause larger separation regions.
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Frost, W., Maus, J.R. & Fichtl, G.H. A boundary-layer analysis of atmospheric motion over a semi-elliptical surface obstruction. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 7, 165–184 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00227911
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00227911