Estimating wall-shear-stress fluctuations given an outer region input

Abstract

Abstract A model for the instantaneous wall-shear-stress distribution is presented for zero-pressure-gradient turbulent boundary layers. The model, based on empirical and theoretical considerations, is able to reconstruct a statistically representative fluctuating wall-shear-stress time-series, τ′w(t), using only the low-frequency content of the streamwise velocity measured in the logarithmic region, away from the wall. Results, including spectra and second-order moments, show that the model is capable of successfully capturing Reynolds number trends as observed in other studies. © Cambridge University Press 2013.