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A Review of Vortex Structures and Associated Coherent Motions in Turbulent Boundary Layers

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Structure of Turbulence and Drag Reduction

Abstract

The experimental and computational evidence for the existence and role of vortices in turbulent boundary layers is briefly reviewed. Quasi-streamwise and transverse vortices are considered, and various published conceptual models for horseshoe-like vortical structures are compared. The causes for upright and inverted horseshoe-shaped vorticity lines are discussed, and the distinction between vorticity lines and vortices is demonstrated. Finally, results from a numerically-simulated turbulent boundary layer are used to compute distributions of diameter, height, and strength for quasi-streamwise and spanwise vortices. These results confirm that quasi-streamwise vortices are clustered near the wall, while spanwise vortices are distributed throughout the layer. The variation of spanwise vortex core diameter with distance from the wall is found to be consistent with the mixing-length distribution for a boundary layer.

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  1. NASA Ames Research Center, 94035, Moffett Field, CA, USA

    Stephen K. Robinson

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  1. Stephen K. Robinson
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  1. Institut für Hydromechanik und Wasserwirtschaft, ETH Zürich, 8093, Zürich-Hönggerberg, Schweiz

    Albert Gyr

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Robinson, S.K. (1990). A Review of Vortex Structures and Associated Coherent Motions in Turbulent Boundary Layers. In: Gyr, A. (eds) Structure of Turbulence and Drag Reduction. International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-50971-1_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-50971-1_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-50973-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-50971-1

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