Unsteady separation in a boundary layer produced by an impinging jet

Abstract

A vortex-induced unsteady separation was investigated experimentally in the laminar boundary layer produced by an axisymmetric jet impinging normally onto a flat plate. By forcing the air jet, primary ring vortices were periodically generated in the jet shear layer. Phase-locked flow visualization showed that the wall-jet boundary layer separated periodically and evolved into a secondary vortex counter rotating with respect to the primary vortex. The unsteady separation is induced by the primary vortex and moves downstream in the radial mean-flow direction. Phase-averaged hot-wire measurements using a parallel-wire sensor in the vicinity of the unsteady separation provided data for locating the onset of separation in space and time. The data revealed that the unsteady separation originated from a local shear layer which was initiated by the unsteady adverse pressure gradient produced by the primary vortex.