Characteristics of momentum sources and sinks in turbulent channel flow

Abstract

The wall-normal gradient of Reynolds shear stress, denoted ∂ T+/∂ y+, may be thought of as a momentum source or sink term (depending on its sign). This quantity represents a critical driver of the dynamics of wall-turbulence that give rise to the mean velocity distribution. While there have been a number of studies concerning the statistics of ∂ T+/∂ y+, there remains much to discover regarding the flow features and their interactions that contribute to ∂ T+/∂ y+. The aim of the present work is to investigate the velocity-vorticity correlations that comprise the Reynolds shear stress gradient. Results show velocity-vorticity correlations rapidly change behaviour up to the location of peak Re..