Study of the streamwise evolution of turbulent boundary layers to high Reynolds numbers

Abstract

We consider the streamwise evolution of zero-pressure-gradient (ZPG) turbulent boundary layers developing on the smooth floor of the Melbourne wind tunnel. The flat plate extends over 27 m, and three different tripping devices are used to set the initial conditions. The first trip consists of standard sandpaper, and the second and third trips consist of the addition of threaded rods of diameter 6 and 10 mm, respectively, that lead to “over-tripped” conditions. Fixed Reynolds number per metre U∞∕ν, where U∞ ≈ 20 m/s is the free-stream velocity and ν is kinematic viscosity, is maintained with a well-established ZPG for all tripping configurations. As the boundary layer evolves along the length..