Crossflow-vortex-induced laminar breakdown in a three-dimensional flat-plate boundary-layer flow is investigated in detail by means of spatial direct numerical simulations. The base flow is generic for an infinite swept wing, with decreasing favourable chordwise pressure gradient. First, the downstream growth and nonlinear saturation states initiated by a crossflow-vortex-mode packet as well as by single crossflow-vortex modes with various spanwise wavenumbers are simulated. Second, the secondary instability of the flow induced by the saturated crossflow vortices is scrutinized, clearly indicating the convective nature of the secondary instability and strengthening knowledge of the conditions for its onset. Emphasis is on the effect of crossflow-vortex-mode packets and of the spanwise vortex spacing on the secondary stability properties of the saturation states. Saturated uniform crossflow vortices initiated by single crossflow-vortex modes turn out to be less unstable than vortices initiated by a packet of vortex modes, and closely spaced saturated vortices are even stable. Third, we investigate the transition control strategy of upstream flow deformation by appropriate steady nonlinear vortex modes as applied in wind tunnel experiments at the Arizona State University. A significant transition delay is shown in the base flow considered here, and the underlying mechanisms are specified.

Abstract. A Poincaré covariant Faddeev equation, which describes baryons as composites of confined-quarks and -nonpointlike-diquarks, is solved to obtain masses and Faddeev amplitudes for the nucleon and ∆. The amplitudes are a component of a nucleon-photon vertex that automatically fulfills the Ward-Takahashi identity for on-shell nucleons. These elements are sufficient for the calculation of a quark core contribution to the nucleons' electromagnetic form factors. An accurate description of the static properties is not possible with the core alone but the error is uniformly reduced by the incorporation of meson-loop contributions. Such contributions to form factors are noticeable for Q 2 2 GeV 2 but vanish with increasing momentum transfer. Hence, larger Q 2 experiments probe the quark core. The calculated behaviour of] GeV 2 agrees with that inferred from polarisation transfer data. Moreover, Q 2 F 2 (Q 2 )/F 1 (Q 2 ) ≈ constant on this domain. These outcomes result from correlations in the proton's amplitude. January 25, 2018

Detailed comparison of spatial direct numerical simulations (DNS) and secondary linear stability theory (SLST) is provided for the three-dimensional crossflow-dominated boundary layer also considered at the DLR-Göttingen for experiments and theory. Secondary instabilities of large-amplitude steady and unsteady crossflow vortices arising from one single primary mode have been analysed. SLST results have been found to be reliable with respect to the dispersion relation and the amplitude distribution of the modal eigenfunction in the crosscut plane. However, significant deviations have been found in the amplification rates, the SLST results being strongly dependent on the necessarily simplified representation of the primary state. The secondary instability mechanisms are shown to be local, i.e. robust with respect to violations of the periodicity assumption made in the SLST for the wall-parallel directions. Perturbations associated with different local maxima of the spanwise periodic eigenfunctions develop independently from each other interacting only with the primary vortices next to them. Characteristic structures induced by different secondary instability modes have been analysed and an analogy with the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability mechanism has been highlighted.

A direct-numerical-simulation study of spatially evolving compressible zero-pressure-gradient turbulent boundary layers is presented for a fine-meshed range of Mach numbers from 0.3 to 2.5. The use of an identical set-up for all subsonic and supersonic cases warrants proper comparability and allows a highly reliable quantitative evaluation of compressible mean-flow scaling laws and the settlement on a commonly accepted compressible mean-flow velocity profile in the considered Mach and Reynolds number range. All data are compared to the literature data-base where significant data scattering can be observed. The skin-friction distribution was found in excellent agreement with the prediction by the van Driest-II transformation. Contrary to the prevailing appraisal, the wake region of the mean-velocity profile is observed to scale much better with the momentum-thickness Reynolds number calculated with the far-field-viscosity than with the wall-viscosity. The time-averaged velocity fluctuations, density-scaled according to Morkovin’s hypothesis, are found to be noticeably influenced by compressibility effects in the inner layer as well as in the wake region. Allowing wall-temperature fluctuations affects neither the density nor velocity fluctuations.

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the momentum and energy transfer in compressible turbulent boundary layers based on integral identities. By considering data obtained from direct numerical simulations for a wide parameter range, the superordinate influences of compressibility, wall heat transfer and pressure gradient on the terms of the governing equations are identified and visualized. This allows us both to determine to what degree cases corresponding to different Mach number, heat transfer and pressure-gradient conditions have physically comparable behaviour and to design turbulent boundary-layer cases with specific sought-after behaviour. To this end, newly formulated identities for the skin-friction coefficient $c_f$ and the specific heat-transfer coefficient $c_h$ from wall-normal integrals based on the non-dimensional compressible momentum and total-enthalpy equations are derived and evaluated. As the individual terms of the resulting identities stay formally close to the terms of the governing equations, the integral analysis further allows the evaluation of common arguments derived from the ‘strong’ Reynolds analogy from an integral perspective. A particular formulation of the Eckert number $Ec$ is proposed as a similarity parameter, mapping cases with different Mach numbers and wall heat transfer conditions.

A direct numerical simulation study of self-similar compressible flat-plate turbulent boundary layers (TBLs) with pressure gradients (PGs) has been performed for inflow Mach numbers of 0.5 and 2.0. All cases are computed with smooth PGs for both favourable and adverse PG distributions (FPG, APG) and thus are akin to experiments using a reflected-wave set-up. The equilibrium character allows for a systematic comparison between sub- and supersonic cases, enabling the isolation of pure PG effects from Mach-number effects and thus an investigation of the validity of common compressibility transformations for compressible PG TBLs. It turned out that the kinematic Rotta–Clauser parameter $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}_{K}$ calculated using the incompressible form of the boundary-layer displacement thickness as length scale is the appropriate similarity parameter to compare both sub- and supersonic cases. Whereas the subsonic APG cases show trends known from incompressible flow, the interpretation of the supersonic PG cases is intricate. Both sub- and supersonic regions exist in the boundary layer, which counteract in their spatial evolution. The boundary-layer thickness $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}_{99}$ and the skin-friction coefficient $c_{f}$, for instance, are therefore in a comparable range for all compressible APG cases. The evaluation of local non-dimensionalized total and turbulent shear stresses shows an almost identical behaviour for both sub- and supersonic cases characterized by similar $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}_{K}$, which indicates the (approximate) validity of Morkovin’s scaling/hypothesis also for compressible PG TBLs. Likewise, the local non-dimensionalized distributions of the mean-flow pressure and the pressure fluctuations are virtually invariant to the local Mach number for same $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}_{K}$-cases. In the inner layer, the van Driest transformation collapses compressible mean-flow data of the streamwise velocity component well into their nearly incompressible counterparts with the same $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FD}_{K}$. However, noticeable differences can be observed in the wake region of the velocity profiles, depending on the strength of the PG. For both sub- and supersonic cases the recovery factor was found to be significantly decreased by APGs and increased by FPGs, but also to remain virtually constant in regions of approximated equilibrium.

The effects of a spanwise row of finite-size cylindrical roughness elements in a laminar, compressible, three-dimensional boundary layer on a wing profile are investigated by direct numerical simulations (DNS). Large elements are capable of immediately tripping turbulent flow by either a strong, purely convective or an absolute/global instability in the near wake. First we focus on an understanding of the steady near-field past a finite-size roughness element in the swept-wing flow, comparing it to a respective case in unswept flow. Then, the mechanisms leading to immediate turbulence tripping are elaborated by gradually increasing the roughness height and varying the disturbance background level. The quasi-critical roughness Reynolds number above which turbulence sets in rapidly is found to be Re kk,qcrit ≈ 560 and global instability is found only for values well above 600 using nonlinear DNS; therefore the values do not differ significantly from two-dimensional boundary layers if the full velocity vector at the roughness height is taken to build Re kk . A detailed simulation study of elements in the critical range indicates a changeover from a purely convective to a global instability near the critical height. Finally, we perform a three-dimensional global stability analysis of the flow field to gain insight into the early stages of the temporal disturbance growth in the quasi-critical and over-critical cases, starting from a steady state enforced by damping of unsteady disturbances.

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