On the development of noise-producing large-scale wavelike eddies in a plane turbulent jet

Abstract

In this paper we study the development of large-scale wavelike eddies in a two-dimensional turbulent jet, extending earlier work on the mixing region (Liu 1974). The basic mean flow develops from one of mixing-region type with an initially specified boundary-layer thickness into a fully developed jet. This study brings out the role of the varicose and sinuous modes as they develop in a growing mean flow. In general, it is found that, for a given frequency parameter, the varicose mode has a shorter streamwise lifetime than the sinuous mode. For lower frequencies, the latter persists past the end of the potential core only to become subject to dissipation by the enhanced fine-scale turbulent activity in that region.