Coherent structures in flow over hydraulic engineering surfaces

Abstract

Wall-bounded turbulence manifests itself in a broad range of applications, not least in hydraulic systems. Here, we briefly review the significant advances over the past few decades in the fundamental study of wall turbulence over smooth and rough surfaces, with an emphasis on coherent structures and their role at high Reynolds numbers. We attempt to relate these findings to parallel efforts in the hydraulic engineering community and discuss the implications of coherent structures in important hydraulic phenomena. © 2012 International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research.