Incompressible flow over a backward-facing step is studied in order to investigate the flow characteristics in the separated shear-layer, the reattachment zone, and the redeveloping boundary layer after reattachment. Two different step-heights are used: h/δs = 2.2 and h/δs = 3.3. The boundary layer at separation is turbulent for both cases. Turbulent intensities and shear stress reach maxima in the reattachment zone, followed by rapid decay near the surface after reattachment. Downstream of reattachnent, the flow returns very slowly to the structure of an ordinary turbulent boundary layer. In the reattached layer the conventional normalization of outerlayer eddy viscosity by U∞ δ* does not collapse the data. However, it was found that normalization by U∞ (δ − δ*) does collapse the data to within ± 10% of a single curve as far downstream as x/xR ≈ 2, the last data station. This result illustrates the strong downstream persistence of the energetic turbulence structure created in the separated shear layer.
Direct numerical simulation data for the lateral velocity derivative Ou/Oy at the centreline of a fully developed turbulent channel flow provide reasonable support for Wyngaard's analysis of the error involved in measuring this quantity using parallel hot wires. Numerical data in the wall region of the channel flow also provide a useful indication of how to select the separation between the wires. Justification for this choice is obtained by comparing several measured statistics of Ou/Oy with the corresponding numerical data.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.