This thesis presents an investigation into the phenomena of scale effects on cavitation inception and noise of marine propellers. The overall aim is to extend the understanding of these phenomena and improve predicting methods. The investigations, which are largely experimental in nature, are restricted to the tip vortex and sheet types of cavitation. Chapter 1 includes a state-of-the-art review of the scale effect studies based on published papers to form the basis for the main objectives and structure of thesis. The objectives require systematic tests in a cavitation tunnel to explore the viscous scale effects contributing to the phenomena, particularly for the effect of the free-stream turbulence, and to include this effect in extrapolation procedures. Chapter 2 is concernedw ith the background flow measurementsin the cavitation tunnel under the effect of systematically varying levels of the free-stream turbulence generated by using wire meshes. This background information is obtained using a Laser Doppler Anemometry; measurements made with the latter provide a systematic basis on which the analyses of the cavitation inception and noise experiments can be performed. In Chapter 3, a set of cavitation inception tests is described with a NACA66 rectangular foil whose cross-section represents a typical blade section of a marine propeller. The inception measurements for systematically varying levels of the free-stream turbulence and that of the leading edge roughness are presented for different angles of attack and the results are discussed. Chapter 4 includes another set of cavitation inception experiments with a 5-bladed of model propeller of the Meridian Series. The measurements are taken for varying levels of the free-stream turbulence, blade roughness and dissolved gas contents. The results are analysed and discussed with a specific emphasis on the similarities between the effects of the free-stream turbulence and blade roughness. Chapter 5 presents a set of systematic noise measurements, with the same test propeller under the similar effects of the free-stream turbulence, blade roughness and dissolved gas content, using a single external hydrophone. The analyseso f these measurements,in terms of the tunnel background noise and net propeller noise, are presented and discussed for two operating conditions representing a typical non-cavitating and cavitating noise spectrum. In Chapter 6, a semi-empirical tool is developed to predict the inception of cavitation including the effect of the free-stream turbulence based on Lighthill's Leading Edge Correction factor (Lighthill, 1951). This tool is correlated with the inception tests results of the model propeller and its potential to be used as an extrapolator for the full-scale prediction is discussed. An attempt is made to establish a correspondence between the level of the free-stream turbulence and that of the blade roughness and its impact on the current test procedures is discussed. This chapter also includes an analysis of the similarity criteria to incorporate the effect of the free-stream turbulence in the inception of cavitation using the Dimensional Analysis procedure. In Chapter 7, a general review of the study together with the main conclusions from the thesis are presented and some recommendations for future work are made.

The flow through a compressor cascade with tip leakage has been studied experimentally. The cascade of GE rotor B section blades had an inlet angle of 65.1º, a stagger angle of 56.9º, and a solidity of 1.08. The final turning angle of the cascade was 11.8º. This compressor configuration was representative of the core compressor of an aircraft engine. The cascade was operated with a tip gap of 1.65%, and operated at a Reynolds number based on the chord length (0.254 m) of 388,000. Measurements were made at 8 axial locations to reveal the structure of the flow as it evolved through the cascade. Measurements were also made to reveal the effects of grid generated turbulence on this flow. The data set is unique in that not only does it give a comparison of elevated free stream turbulence effects, but also documents the developing flow through the blade row of a compressor cascade with tip leakage. Measurements were made at a total of 8 locations 0.8, 0.23 axial chords upstream and 0, 0.27, 0.48, 0.77, 0.98, and 1.26 axial chords downstream of the leading edge of the blade row for both inflow turbulence cases. The measurements revealed the formation and development of the tip leakage vortex within the passage. The tip leakage vortex becomes apparent at approximately X/ca= 0.27 and dominated much of the endwall flow. The tip leakage vortex is characterized by high streamwise velocity deficits, high vorticity and high turbulence kinetic energy levels. The result showed that between 0.77 and 0.98 axial chords downstream of the leading edge, the vortex structure and behavior changes. The effects of grid generated turbulence were also documented. The results revealed significant effects on the flow field. The results showed a 4% decrease in the blade loading and a 20% reduction in the vorticity levels within tip leakage vortex. There was also a shift in the vortex path, showing a shift close to the suction side with grid generated turbulence, indicating the strength of the vortex was decreased. Circulation calculations showed this reduction, and also indicated that the tip leakage vortex increased in size by about 30%. The results revealed that overall, the turbulence kinetic energy levels in the tip leakage vortex were increased, with the most drastic change occurring at X/ca= 0.77. / Ph. D.

The work presented in this thesis was on nominally two-dimensional turbulent boundary layers at zero pressure gradient subjected to high free-stream turbulent intensities of up to 7.9% in preparations for high free-stream turbulence studies on three-dimensional boundary layers, which will be done in the future in the Aerospace and Ocean Engineering Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel at Virginia Tech. The two-dimensional turbulent flow that will impinge three-dimensional bodies needed to be characterized, before the three-dimensional studies can be made. An active turbulence generator designed to create high free-stream turbulence intensities in the wind tunnel was tested and modified in order to obtain the lowest possible mean flow non-uniformities. A seven-hole pressure probe was used to obtain planes of mean velocity measurements. A three-component state of the art laser-Doppler velocimeter (LDV) was used to obtain mean and fluctuating velocities. Previous high free-stream turbulence studies have been reviewed and are discussed, and some of the previously published data of other authors have been corrected. Based on the measurements obtained with the LDV, it was also determined that the semi-log law of the wall is valid for high free-stream turbulence cases, but with different constants than the ones proposed by Coles, where the constants for the high free-stream cases may be dependent on the turbulence intensity. For the first time, the skin friction coefficient (Cf) was deduced from the viscous sublayer. The difference between the U_tau obtained in the viscous sublayer mean velocity profile and the U_tau obtained in the semi-log layer was 1.5%. The skin friction coefficient was determined to increase by 10.5% when the two-dimensional turbulent boundary layer was subjected to high free-stream turbulence effects. Spectral data obtained with the LDV, were compared to the von Kármán model spectrum and to the Pope's model spectrum, where the von Kármán spectrum was proven to fit the spectral data slightly better than the Pope's spectrum. Finally, the Hancock-Bradshaw-Blair parameter obtained for this experiment agreed very well with previously published data. / Master of Science

The aerodynamic performance of lifting surfaces operating at low Reynolds number conditions is impaired by laminar separation. Understanding of the physical mechanisms and hydrodynamic instabilities that are associated with laminar separation and the formation of laminar separation bubbles (LSBs) is key for the design and development of effective and efficient active flow control (AFC) devices. For the present work, laminar separation and its control were investigated numerically by employing highly-accurate direct numerical simulations (DNS).For a LSB on a curved plate, the primary and secondary instability of the uncontrolled flow were investigated. An inviscid Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability was found to be responsible for the shedding of predominantly two-dimensional (2D) vortices. The onset of transition was caused by temporally-growing three-dimensional (3D) disturbances inside the separated region, which were supported by elliptical and hyperbolic secondary instabilities. The hyperbolic instability was demonstrated to be of absolute/global nature. High-amplitude forcing using pulsed vortex generator jets and 2D time-periodic blowing was found to exploit the KH instability and lead to a significant reduction in bubble size. In addition, the 2D forcing was found to suppress the secondary instabilities such that transition to turbulence was delayed.The role of free-stream turbulence (FST) in the transition process was investigated for a LSB on a flat plate. FST was shown to cause the formation of streamwise-elongated streaks inside the boundary layer. For the uncontrolled LSB, increasing the FST levels led to accelerated transition and a reduction in bubble size. The stage of linear disturbance growth due to the inviscid KH instability was not ``bypassed''. Flow control by means of 2D periodic excitation was found to remain effective, since it could exploit the KH instability and suppress secondary absolute instabilities. Transition was initiated by an interaction of the 2D wave introduced by the forcing and the streamwise boundary-layer streaks. The interaction led to a spanwise modulation of the 2D wave, which was amplified due to a convective elliptical instability.

Bypass transition, i.e. transition of a boundary layer at subcritical Reynolds numbers, has been studied. Fundamental studies of the phenomenon as such have been performed side by side with experiments aimed at controlling, i.e. delaying, transition. The experiments have been performed in three different flow facilities, two with air as the working fluid (a plane channel flow and a wind-tunnel) and one with water (a water channel). From the water channel data the well known low-speed streaks appearing in a boundary layer under a turbulent free stream are found to be correlated with upward motion in the boundary layer. The streaks are found to scale in proportion to the boundary-layer thickness in both the streamwise and wall-normal directions. The streamwise length is around hundred boundary-layer thicknesses. It is found that the secondary instability of the streaks grows slower for disturbances consisting of less than four wavelengths, as compared to continuous wavetrains. Elongated low-speed structures are controlled, first in the plane channel flow and then by a reactive system in the wind-tunnel. In the channel, the breakdown of generated streaks is delayed by applying localized suction under the regions of low velocity. Measurements of the disturbance environment withand without control applied show that both the growth of the secondary instability and its spreading in the spanwise direction are reduced when applying the control. In order to be successful, the control has to be applied to a narrow region (about 1/10th of a streak width) around the position of minimum velocity. The reactive system in the windtunnel, comprising four upstream sensors and four suction ports downstream, inhibits the growth of the amplitude of the streaks for a certain distance downstream of the suction ports. After the inhibited growth the disturbances start to grow again and far downstream the streak amplitude returns to close to the uncontrolled values. / QC 20100527

A high level of free-stream turbulence and surface roughness are known to cause breakdown of an otherwise stable laminar flow. In transition induced by free-stream turbulence, streaks are formed due to the lift-up effect and low-speed streaks with high shear breakdown to turbulence. Streaks are also present in transition caused by a roughness element and they may breakdown via sinuous or varicose instability. In general, streamwise streaks, their lift-up and streak instability are integral to the bypass transition process. If the lift-up of a high-shear layer or its breakdown is manipulated by some external means, then the downstream flow is expected to change. An experimental study was carried out to understand the effect of flow modification caused by a mesh placed normal to the flow and at different wall-normal locations in the late stage of bypass transitions induced separately by an isolated cylindrical roughness element and a high level of free-stream turbulence. The measurements were made on a flat plate boundary layer in a low-speed wind tunnel using the particle image velocimetry technique. The mesh causes an approximately 30% reduction in the free-stream velocity, and mild acceleration in the boundary layer, irrespective of its wall-normal location. Interestingly, when located near the wall, the mesh suppresses several transitional events leading to transition delay over a large downstream distance. The transition delay is found to be mainly caused by suppression of the lift-up of the high-shear layer and its distortion, along with modification of the spanwise streaky structure to an orderly one. However, with the mesh well away from the wall, the lifted-up shear layer remains largely unaffected, and the downstream boundary layer velocity profile develops an overshoot which is found to follow a plane mixing layer type profile up to the free stream. Reynolds stresses, and the size and strength of vortices increase in this mixing layer region. The high-intensity disturbance in this region can possibly enhance the transition of accelerated flow far downstream, although a reduction in streamwise turbulence intensity occurs over a short distance downstream of the mesh. However, the shape of large-scale streamwise structure in the wall-normal plane is found to be more or less the same as that without the mesh.

The relationship of time-resolved surface heat flux to the turbulent free-stream flow over a turbine blade is investigated. Measurements are made in a transonic linear cascade with a modem high pressure turbine blade profile. Time-resolved direct heat transfer measurements are made with Heat Flux Microsensor (HFM) inserts along the pressure side, and with one HFM directly deposited on the suction surface near the leading edge. Simultaneous velocity measurements are made above the heat flux sensors using miniature hot-wire probes. Grids are used to produce two turbulence fields of constant inlet turbulence intensity, Tu = 5%, but significantly different integral length scales (Ax). Results are compared with a low free-stream turbulence baseline condition. Special emphasis is given to frequency domain analysis of the data via coherence function magnitude and phase, energy spectra, and time auto- arid cross-correlations. Results are presented for both mean and fluctuating velocity and heat flux. Mean heat transfer is highest for the smaller length scale grid, but inlet integral length scale appears of limited use in predicting surface heat flux interactions with the observed complex passage flow. While free-stream rms velocity, u', and surface rms heat flux, q', show some correlation with mean heat transfer in the laminar region near the leading edge, no such correlation is seen on the pressure side. Instead, u' decreases along the pressure side while low frequency transitional activity causes q' to increase. Application of laminar heat transfer correlations to the near leading edge region shows some success. However, application of laminar and turbulent heat transfer correlations along the pressure side gives poor results which are likely due to the transitional state of the boundary layer and complex flow. Frequency domain analysis allowed estimation of scales, frequency, and time lag across the boundary layer of passing flow structures. Coherence between free-stream velocity and surface heat flux was found useful for determining the scale and frequency range of free-stream turbulent structures interacting with the surface heat flux, but did not correlate with mean heat transfer. Suction side coherence was low relative to the pressure side and isolated to a narrow frequency band. Pressure side coherence was broadband with significant low frequency energy near the leading edge. This low frequency energy (larger structures) decayed along the pressure side while higher frequency coherent structures were seen to grow. / Ph. D.

The focus of this thesis is the numerical study of subcritical transition to turbulence in boundary-layer flows. For the most part, boundary layers with uniform suction are considered. Constant homogeneous suction counteracts the spatial growth of the boundary layer, rendering the flow parallel. This enables research approaches which are not feasible in the context of spatially developing flows. In the first part, the laminar–turbulent separatrix of the asymptotic suction boundary layer (ASBL) is investigated numerically by means of an edge-tracking algorithm. The obtained edge states experience recurrent dynamics, going through calm and bursting phases. The self-sustaining mechanism bears many similarities with the classical regeneration cycle of near-wall turbulence. The recurrent simple structure active during calm phases is compared to the nucleation of turbulence events in bypass transition originating from delocalised initial conditions. The implications on the understanding of the bypass-transition process and the edge state's role are discussed. Based on this understanding, a model is constructed which predicts the position of the nucleation of turbulent spots during free-stream turbulence induced transition in spatially developing boundary-layer flow. This model is used together with a probabilistic cellular automaton (PCA), which captures the spatial spreading of the spots, correctly reproducing the main statistical characteristics of the transition process. The last part of the thesis is concerned with the spatio-temporal aspects of turbulent ASBL in extended numerical domains near the onset of sustained turbulence. The different behaviour observed in ASBL, i.e. absence of sustained laminar–turbulent patterns, which have been reported in other wall-bounded flows, is associated with different character of the large-scale flow. In addition, an accurate quantitative estimate for the lowest Reynolds number with sustained turbulence is obtained / <p>QC 20160429</p>

<p>Transition from laminar to turbulent flow has beentraditionally studied in terms of exponentially growingeigensolutions to the linearized disturbance equations.However, experimental findings show that transition may occuralso for parameters combinations such that these eigensolutionsare damped. An alternative non-modal growth mechanism has beenrecently identified, also based on the linear approximation.This consists of the transient growth of streamwise elongateddisturbances, mainly in the streamwise velocity component,called streaks. If the streak amplitude reaches a thresholdvalue, secondary instabilities can take place and provoketransition. This scenario is most likely to occur in boundarylayer flows subject to high levels of free-stream turbulenceand is the object of this thesis. Different stages of theprocess are isolated and studied with different approaches,considering the boundary layer flow over a flat plate. Thereceptivity to free-stream disturbances has been studiedthrough a weakly non-linear model which allows to disentanglethe features involved in the generation of streaks. It is shownthat the non-linear interaction of oblique waves in thefree-stream is able to induce strong streamwise vortices insidethe boundary layer, which, in turn, generate streaks by thelift-up effect. The growth of steady streaks is followed bymeans of Direct Numerical Simulation. After the streaks havereached a finite amplitude, they saturate and a new laminarflow, characterized by a strong spanwise modulation isestablished. Using Floquet theory, the instability of thesestreaks is studied to determine the features of theirbreakdown. The streak critical amplitude, beyond which unstablewaves are excited, is 26% of the free-stream velocity. Theinstability appears as spanwise (sinuous-type) oscillations ofthe streak. The late stages of the transition, originating fromthis type of secondary instability, are also studied. We foundthat the main structures observed during the transition processconsist of elongated quasi-streamwise vortices located on theflanks of the low speed streak. Vortices of alternating signare overlapping in the streamwise direction in a staggeredpattern.</p><p><strong>Descriptors:</strong>Fluid mechanics, laminar-turbulenttransition, boundary layer flow, transient growth, streamwisestreaks, lift-up effect, receptivity, free-stream turbulence,nonlinear mechanism, streak instability, secondary instability,Direct Numerical Simulation.</p> / QC 20100518

Measurements of the small-scale dissipation statistics of turbulent boundary layer flows with and without free-stream turbulence are reported for Reτ ≈ 1000 (Reθ ≈ 2000). The scaling of the dissipation scale distribution is examined in these two boundary conditions of external wall-bounded flow. Results demonstrated that the local large-scale Reynolds number based on the measured longitudinal integral length-scale fails to properly normalize the dissipation scale distribution near the wall in these two free-stream conditions, due to the imperfect characterization of the upper bound of the inertial cascade by the integral length-scale. When a length-scale based on Townsend's attached-eddy hypothesis is utilized to describe the local large-scale Reynolds number near the wall, the description of the Reynolds number scaling was determined to be significantly improved and agreed with that found in homogeneous, isotropic turbulence. However, the scaling based on Townsend's attached-eddy hypothesis agreed best for the lowest 40% of the boundary layer thickness and then it degraded due to the loss of the validity of the attached eddy-hypothesis and the onset of external intermittency. A surrogate large-scale found from turbulent kinetic energy and mean dissipation rate improved the scaling of the dissipation scales, relative to the measured integral length-scale. The probability density functions of the local dissipation scales were calculated. When the three local large-scale Reynolds numbers are used for normalization, the one based on the longitudinal integral length-scale and the one based on the length-scale of attached-eddy hypothesis provide support for the existence of a universal distribution of the local dissipation scales up to the edge of the outer region of the turbulent boundary layer, which scales differently for inner and outer regions. However, the probability density functions of the local dissipation scales normalized by these two large-scale Reynolds numbers are deviated in interface locations for the flow without free-stream turbulence due to external intermittency. The surrogate large-scale provided the best agreement throughout the entire depth of the boundary layer. However, in the outer part of the boundary layer, a significantly reduced collapse in the scaled probability density functions was shown due to bias in the calculation introduced by the intermittent presence of laminar flow in the time series. To support that intermittency argument, injection of the free-stream turbulence was determined to improve the distribution of these normalized probability density functions in the intermittency locations for the flow regime without free-stream turbulence. In addition, unlike in channel flow, in the outer part of the turbulent boundary layer, the normalized distributions of the local dissipation scales were observed to be dependent on wall-normal position. This was found to be attributable to the presence of external intermittency in this outer part as the presence of free-stream turbulence was found to restore the scaling behavior by replacing the intermittent laminar flow with turbulent flow. Thus, the influence of external intermittency on the scaling of the dissipation scale distribution was examined in greater detail for the laminar free-stream condition. Probability density functions of the dissipative scales were compared with, and without, accounting for the external intermittency using an intermittency detection function. Results showed that accounting for the external intermittency produces restores universality in the shapes of the probability density functions at the same wall-normal location at different instances in time. In addition, properly scaling the dissipation-scale-distribution collapses the probability density functions calculated at different wall-normal locations. This improvement in the scaling of the dissipation-scale-distribution supports prior observations of universality of the small-scale description of the turbulence for wall-bounded flow.