Turbulent flow in a rectangular duct

Abstract

A detailed experimental study of developing turbulent flow in a rectangular duct was made using a laser-Doppler anemometer. The purposes of the work were to obtain data of value to fluid mechanicists, particularly those interested in the development and testing of mathematical turbulence models, and to evaluate the performance of the anemometer. For the first purpose, contours of axial mean velocity and turbulence intensity were measured in the developing flow, and all three mean velocity components and five of the six Reynolds stresses were obtained in the nearly fully developed flow.The symmetry of the present flow appears to be better than that of previous measurements and the range of measurements is more extensive. In addition, the laser-Doppler anemometer has the potential advantage, particularly in the measurement of secondary velocities, of avoiding probe interference.