Numerical simulations of rough-wall turbulent boundary layers
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Authors
Yuan, Junlin
Date
2015-07-14
Type
thesis
Language
eng
Keyword
roughness , turbulence model , fluid mechanics , favourable pressure gradient , boundary layer , CFD , numerical simulation , turbulence
Alternative Title
Abstract
At sufficiently high Reynolds number, all surfaces are rough, and roughness affects most flows in engineering and the natural sciences. Examples range from atmospheric boundary layers over buildings and canopies, to engineering surfaces with erosion, deposits, etc. To study the roughness effects, we take a high-resolution approach to capture the flow around individual roughness elements using direct and large-eddy simulations (DNS and LES); the goal is to elucidate phenomena which have been difficult to access using physical experiments, and to help develop engineering correlations and models. First, most experiments and turbulence models are based on a standardized type of roughness, sand-grain roughness, which can be described using a single length scale. The relationship between the geometry of an arbitrary surface and the canonical one must be known, to predict critical flow parameters such as the drag, using either experimental correlations or turbulence models. Using numerical experiments, we relate this length-scale to the roughness geometry, and propose a guideline for its prediction in the industrial setting. Next, to explain the dependence of drag on the topographical details, we examine the role of the wake of the roughness elements in the drag generation of a rough surface. The wake field is found to promote vertical momentum transfer and near-wall instability; it might provide a link between geometry details and the engineering modeling of roughness effects. Lastly, we focus on a more realistic flow scenario -- the one with freestream accelerations -- and study the combined effects of roughness and acceleration, a phenomenon widely present in engineering flows over airfoils or complex landscapes. It is first shown, by comparing equilibrium accelerating flows obtained in the present study with the non-equilibrium flows in the literature, that the roughness and acceleration effects are interdependent and depend on the flow equilibrity. Then, using DNS data of a spatially developing flat-plate boundary layer, it is found that the effect coupling develops as the roughness affects the turbulence time scale and thus the flow susceptibility of the acceleration stabilization, while acceleration changes the wake velocity and ultimately the roughness destabilization level.
Description
Thesis (Ph.D, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2015-07-14 12:36:52.843
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Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.
ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement
Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.