Publication Date:
2017-04-18
Description:
We experimentally and numerically investigate the temporal aspects of turbulent spots spreading in a plane Couette flow for transitional Reynolds numbers between 300 and 450. Spot growth rate, spot advection rate and large-scale flow intensity are measured as a function of time and Reynolds number. All these quantities show similar dynamics clarifying the role played by large-scale flows in the advection of the turbulent spot. The contributions of each possible growth mechanism, that is, growth induced by large-scale advection or growth by destabilization, are discussed for the different stages of the spot growth. A scenario that gathers all these elements is providing a better understanding of the growth dynamics of turbulent spots in plane Couette flow that should possibly apply to other extended shear flows. © 2017 Cambridge University Press.
Print ISSN:
0022-1120
Electronic ISSN:
1469-7645
Topics:
Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Production Engineering, Mining and Metallurgy, Traffic Engineering, Precision Mechanics
,
Physics
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