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. Descriptors: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. / QC 20100518

In this study, which is numerical in nature, direct numerical simulation (DNS) of the pipe flow is performed. For the DNS a solenoidal spectral method is employed, this involves the expansion of the velocity using divergence free functions which also satisfy the prescribed boundary conditions, and a subsequent projection of the N-S equations onto the corresponding dual space. The solenoidal functions are formulated in Legendre polynomial space, which results in more favorable forms for the inner product integrals arising from the Petrov-Galerkin scheme employed. The developed numerical scheme is also used to investigate the effects of spanwise oscillations and phase randomization on turbulence statistics, and drag, in turbulent incompressible pipe flow for low to moderate Reynolds numbers (i.e. $mathrm{Re} sim 5000$) ).

The transition from a laminar to a turbulent flow strongly modifies the boundary layer properties.Understanding the mechanisms leading to transition is crucial to reliably predict aerodynamicperformances. For boundary layers subjected to high levels of external disturbances, the naturaltransition due to the amplification of the least stable mode is replaced by an early transition, calledBypass transition. This is the result of non-normal mode interactions that lead to a phenomenon oftransient growth of disturbances. These disturbances are known as Klebanoff modes and take theform of streamwise velocity streaks.This thesis aims at understanding this linear mechanism of transient growth and quantifying itsinfluence on the classical modal amplification of disturbances. This is done by computing theso-called optimal perturbations, i.e. the initial disturbances that undergo maximum amplificationin the boundary layer.These optimal perturbations are first determined for two-dimensional compressible boundary layersdeveloping over curved surfaces. In particular, we show that Klebanoff modes naturally evolvetowards Görtler vortices that occur over concave walls. Three-dimensional boundary layers arethen considered. In such configurations, transient growth provides an initial amplitude to crossflowvortices. Finally, applying the tools developed in this thesis to new flow cases such as swept wingsprovides further understanding of the phenomenon of transient growth for realistic geometries. / Le passage du régime laminaire au régime turbulent s’accompagne d’importantes modifications despropriétés physiques de la couche limite. La détermination précise de la transition est donc crucialedans de nombreux cas pratiques. Lorsque la couche limite se développe dans un environnementextérieur faiblement perturbé, la transition est gouvernée par l’amplification du mode propre le moinsstable. Lorsque l’intensité des perturbations extérieures augmente, des interactions multimodalesentraînent une amplification transitoire des perturbations. Ce phénomène peut conduire à unetransition prématurée, appelée transition Bypass. Les perturbations prennent alors la forme destries longitudinales de vitesse appelées modes de Klebanoff.L’objectif de cette thèse est d’étudier ce mécanisme linéaire de croissance transitoire et soninfluence sur l’amplification modale classique des perturbations. Cela passe par la déterminationdes perturbations les plus amplifiées au sein de la couche limite, appelées perturbations optimales.Ces perturbations optimales sont d’abord calculées pour des couches limites bidimensionnelles etcompressibles se développant sur des surfaces courbes. En particulier, on montre que les modes deKlebanoff évoluent vers les tourbillons de Görtler qui se forment sur des parois concaves. Le cas plusgénéral de couches limites tridimensionnelles est ensuite envisagé. Pour de telles configurations, lacroissance transitoire fournit une amplitude initiale aux instabilités transversales. Enfin, l’applicationdes outils développés dans cette thèse fournit de nouveaux résultats pour des cas d’écoulementsautour de géométries réalistes comme une aile en flèche.