Oblique laminar-turbulent interfaces in plane shear flows

Duguet Y, Schlatter P (2013)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2013

Journal

Physical Review Letters American Physical Society

Book Volume: 110

Article Number: 034502

Journal Issue: 3

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.034502

Abstract

Localized structures such as turbulent stripes and turbulent spots are typical features of transitional wall-bounded flows in the subcritical regime. Based on an assumption for scale separation between large and small scales, we show analytically that the corresponding laminar-turbulent interfaces are always oblique with respect to the mean direction of the flow. In the case of plane Couette flow, the mismatch between the streamwise flow rates near the boundaries of the turbulence patch generates a large-scale flow with a nonzero spanwise component. Advection of the small-scale turbulent fluctuations (streaks) by the corresponding large-scale flow distorts the shape of the turbulence patch and is responsible for its oblique growth. This mechanism can be easily extended to other subcritical flows such as plane Poiseuille flow or Taylor-Couette flow. © 2013 American Physical Society.

Authors with CRIS profile

Philipp Schlatter

Involved external institutions

National Center for Scientific Research / Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) FR France (FR) Royal Institute of Technology / Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan (KTH) SE Sweden (SE)

How to cite

APA:

Duguet, Y., & Schlatter, P. (2013). Oblique laminar-turbulent interfaces in plane shear flows. Physical Review Letters, 110(3). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.034502

MLA:

Duguet, Yohann, and Philipp Schlatter. "Oblique laminar-turbulent interfaces in plane shear flows." Physical Review Letters 110.3 (2013).

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