Measurements of intermittency of turbulent motion in a boundary layer

Abstract

Previous observations of turbulent motion at large wave-numbers have revealed the existence of an uneven distribution of turbulent energy. The spotty distribution of the turbulent motion at high wave-numbers is here studied experimentally for the turbulent boundary layer. The high wave-number intermittency is observed at all locations through and along the boundary layer from near transition to near separation. The flatness factors for the longitudinal turbulent component at different wave-numbers are measured to give a quantitative value for the intermittency at particular wave-numbers. Upstream of the separation region the flatness factors are found to depend on wave-number and longitudinal distance, but not on the distance from the wall. It appears that the intermittency develops in the transition region and does not diminish very rapidly with distance downstream. Near separation the flatness factors change radically in distribution near the wall, and are there no longer independent of distance from the wall.