In the context of building a framework for active flow control of turbulent boundary layers in wings, a set of large-eddy simulation (LES) are implemented in OpenFOAM. The flow around a NACA4412 wing profile is simulated at 5° angle of attack and Re_c = 400˙000. Validation of the uncontrolled flow results is performed with respect to the dataset generated by Vinuesa et al. (2018) at the same aerodynamic configuration. Afterwards, two different flow control strategies are analyzed over the suction side (SS) of the wing to yield skin friction drag reduction and an overall improvement of the aerodynamic efficiency. The region subject to the actuation spans 0.25 x_ss/c to 0.:86 x_ss/c, where c is the chord length of the wing. In the current setup, uniform blowing (BLW) and suction (SCT) control schemes show close agreement with the trends presented by Atzori (2021). Indeed, BLW decreases the viscous drag, but increases its pressure contribution and penalizes the lift, thus lowering the global efficiency of the wing, while SCT has an opposite effect. Thus, these methods behave similarly to pressure gradients (PGs) conditions, as BLW enhances the APG, whereas SCT damps it. The streamwise travelling waves strategy is then assessed for three set-ups characterized by different phase speeds. A consistent skin friction drag reduction and efficiency improvement are observed for two cases, while milder benefits are recorded even when drag increase was expected. Trends which have already been reported in the literature by Quadrio et al. (2009) and Skote (2014) are identified, i.e. the effects of this actuation to be mainly enclosed in the viscous sub-layer and the gross amount of drag reduction to be dependent on the wave relative speed; however, it is believed that the PGs conditions over the SS of the wing significantly alters the outcomes of the chosen parameters. Eventually, Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations are performed to assess their accuracy with respect to the generated LES set-up, in the effort to enable a multi-fidelity approach for future works.

No description available.

This thesis presents a series of direct numerical simulations (DNS) performed in order to understand the discrepancy in the literature regarding turbulent asymptotic suction boundary layers (TASBLs) at low Reynolds numbers. The hypothesis to be tested is that the main reason for higher turbulence intensities observed in experiments compared to DNS is that the latter exhibits intermittent patches of laminar flow, developing both temporally and spatially. This hypothesis is confirmed here by comparing simulations with and without tripping, where the former removed patches of laminar flow thereby establishing a fully developed turbulent state with higher turbulence intensities compared to its naturally developing counterpart. The DNS were performed at different suctions rates corresponding to Reynolds numbers above the critical value of 270. The statistics taken from the simulations at different streamwise positions also support the developing character of the flow with increasing intermittency further downstream. Thus, it can be concluded that the actual flow state at these marginal Reynolds numbers is indeed an intermittent one, with lower fluctuation values as the experimental data would indicate.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 1980. / Microfiche copy available in Archives and Science. / Bibliography: leaves 92-98. / by Eric Arthur D'Asaro. / Ph.D.

Research presented herein involved the use of a smart skin treatment used for the attenuation of turbulent boundary layer induced interior noise. The treatment consisted of several Smart Foam actuators each having a reference and error sensor along with a feed forward, filtered-x controller. Studies were performed to determine if the use of multiple instances of single input, single output (SISO) control systems could be implemented with success given the difficulty of actively suppressing turbulent boundary layer induced interior noise. Further, this research will lead to the development of an integrated Smart Foam element consisting of a Smart Foam actuator, reference sensor, error sensor and SISO controller in one complete, stand--alone unit. Several topics were studied during this effort: reference sensing, error sensing, actuator design, controller causality, correlation of turbulent flow and resulting plate vibration, and coherence between plate vibration and the interior noise field. Each study was performed with the goal of improving the performance of active attenuation of turbulent boundary layer induced interior noise. Depending on the configuration of the control system, control was performed using either experiments or simulations based on experimental data. Within the desired control band of 400--800~Hz, attenuation of up to -3.1~dB$_A$ was achieved at the error sensors and up to -1.4~dB$_A$ within the observer plane relative to the uncontrolled case. However, over a band of greater coherence from 480--750~Hz, attenuation of up to -4.8~dB$_A$ was achieved at the error sensors and up to -2.6~dB$_A$ within the observer plane. Further, peak attenuation of up to -12~dB$_A$ was achieved within the observer plane. Studies were also conducted to increase the low frequency performance of the Smart Foam treatment. These experiments used tuning masses placed on the tops of the integrated Smart Foam elements to tune them to the fundamental mode of the vibrating plate. This treatment was used to reactively attenuate plate vibration such that the radiated acoustic field would be minimized. These experiments resulted in -6~dB$_A$ global attenuation at the plate fundamental resonance. Further, it was shown that the reactive treatment did not inhibit active control. / Ph. D.

Federal employment law designed to assure equal employment opportunity for faculty has only been applicable to higher education since 1972. Prior to 1972, the higher education world, moreover, was immune from the most comprehensive federal employment law, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. However, Title VII was amended in 1972 to include education institutions. Ever since the protection of the civil rights law was extended to higher education, faculty employment discrimination litigation has increased. The reality of this phenomenal growth in litigation is clear, the potential for judicial intervention in academic decision making is undeniable, and reliance on the judicial process is increasingly becoming common. Thus, no institution of higher education may consider itself immune from the possibilities of litigation, nor immune from the decisions handed down by the courts. The main focus of this study was a legal one, which necessitated a heavy concentration upon the historical and current state of employment discrimination law, specifically, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The study was conducted by using a combination of legislative analysis and legal research methods. The legal research methods used in this study included the same problem-solving processes as other traditional research methods: (1) collecting data; (2) analysis; and (3) interpretation. The main purpose of this study was to examine, analyze, and summarize legislative history and case law relevant to Title VII, and sex discrimination in higher education. In summary, although Title VII prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex and national origin, the issues surrounding women faculty and sex discrimination is probably the fastest growing area of litigation for administrators on the university campus. Therefore, this study was an attempt to examine the employment discrimination issues and developments pertaining to sex discrimination only. College and university administrators may find this study useful for: (1) examining Title VII, and its amendments; (2) examining sex discrimination case law; and (3) utilizing the research for developing procedures, policies and guidelines to minimize potential lawsuits. / Ph. D.

Measurements were made on three forward steps with step height to boundary layer ratio of approximately 3.8%, 15% and 60% and Reynolds number based on step height ranging from 6640 to 213,000. The measurements included mean wall pressure, single and 2 point wall pressure fluctuations, single and 2 point velocity fluctuations and, oil flow visualization. Pressure fluctuation measurements were made 5 boundary layer thicknesses upstream of step to 22 boundary layer thickness (or 600 step heights for smallest step size) downstream of the step. The results show that the steps remarkably enhance the wall pressure fluctuations that scale on the step height in the vicinity of the step and far downstream of the step. The decay of wall pressure fluctuations post reattachment is a slow process and elevated levels can be seen as far as 150 step heights downstream for the mid step size. The enhanced pressure fluctuations come from the unsteady reattachment region on top face of the step which was found to be a strong function of flow geometry and flow parameters such as Reynolds number. The 2 point pressure and velocity space-time correlations show a quasi-periodic structure which begins to develop close to the reattachment and grows in intensity and scale further downstream of reattachment and is responsible for the elevated pressure fluctuations downstream of the step. However, the velocity correlations lack in scale reflecting the fact that large scales reflected in pressure are masked by smaller scales that exist within them. / Master of Science

The pressure fluctuations under a high Reynolds Number, rough-wall, turbulent, boundary layer have been studied in the Virginia Tech Stability Wind Tunnel. Rough surfaces of varying element height (1-mm, 3-mm), shape (hemispheres, cylinders) and spacing (5.5-mm, 10.4-mm, 16.5-mm) were investigated in order to ascertain how the turbulent pressure fluctuations change with changes in roughness geometry. Rough surfaces which contain two types of elements are investigated and relationships between the combination surface and the individual surfaces have been uncovered. Measurements of the wall pressure fluctuations were made using pinhole microphones and hotwire measurements were made to obtain the velocity and turbulence field. Among the principal findings is the development of two scaling laws for the low frequency pressure fluctuations. Both of these are based on the idea that the defect between the edge velocity and some local boundary layer velocity sustains the pressure fluctuations in the outer regions of the flow. The first scaling uses the broadband convection velocity as the local velocity of the large scale pressure fluctuations. The second scaling uses the mean boundary layer velocity. Both these scalings appear more robust than the previously proposed scalings for the low frequency region and are able to scale the pressure spectra of all the data to within 3.5-dB. In addition, it was proven that the high frequency shear friction velocity scaling of Meyers et al. (2015) is universal to rough surfaces of different element shape and density. Physical insights into the shear friction velocity, on which this scaling is based, have been revealed. This includes an empirical formula which estimates the element pressure drag coefficient from the roughness density and the Reynolds number. The slopes in the mid-frequency region were found to vary with element density and microphone location such that a useful scaling could not be determined for this region. The possibility of an overlap region is explored and the expectation of a -1 slope is disproved. It is hypothesised that an evanescent decay of the mid-frequency pressure fluctuations occurs between their actual location and the wall where they are measured. A method for accounting for this decay is presented in order to scale the pressure fluctuations in this region. Lastly, a piecewise interpolation function for the pressure spectrum of rough wall turbulent boundary layers was proposed. This analytical function is based on the low frequency scaling on mean velocity and the high frequency scaling of Meyers et al. (2015) The mid-frequency is estimated by a spline interpolation between these two regions. / Ph. D.

A study on the behaviour of wave-packets and random disturbances, introduced by the vibrating-ribbon technique in a Blasius boundary layer, is presented. The experiments were conducted in the VPI & SU low turbulence wind tunnel. The flat plate model was constructed from an aluminum-paper honeycomb laminate and an aluminum leading edge with an elliptical profile. A theoretical model was developed to verify the random and step-function-form motion of the vibrating ribbon. In the case of random disturbance introduction it was found that the random disturbances behave like infinite number, single-frequency waves and measurements of their growth made possible to verify regions of the neutral-stability curve. In the case of wave-packet creation it was found that the wave packets behave like a structure that consists of waves of certain frequencies that grow or decay not necessarily according to the stability curve but in that way as to maintain the wave-packet structure. Their growth as they move downstream and their quick destruction into turbulence was compared to previously published data. / Master of Science

Turbulence research in the laboratory over the past three decades has confirmed the existence of quasi-coherent structures amidst the chaos of a turbulent boundary layer. It has been observed that a quasi-periodic phenomena called "bursting" accounts for a major contribution to the turbulent Reynolds stress and the production of turbulent kinetic energy. Bursting is the term used for a sequence of events, where a low-speed streak of fluid from the near wall region lifts away from the wall, slowly at first, and then rapidly moves away from the wall as it convects downstream where it becomes unstable and breaks up violently upon interaction with the outer flow. This ejection of low speed fluid into the mean flow is responsible for locally high values of turbulent kinetic energy. Though a great deal is known about these structures in laboratory flows, little has been done to investigate their existence in the turbulent air flow over the ocean. It would seem, intuitively, that such structures, if present in the marine atmospheric boundary layer, would playa major role in the transfer of momentum, mass and heat across the air-sea interface. The present study is aimed at identifying the existence of burst structures in the marine atmospheric boundary layer. The standard ejection detection schemes like the quadrant, the VITA and the modified u-level techniques were applied to the turbulent wind data measured over the ocean. It was found that the proportion of contribution to the Reynolds stress from the four quadrants of the u'w' plane is in close agreement with the corresponding contributions for a laboratory flow. Ejection detection followed by the grouping of ejections into bursts yielded a mean burst period of 47 sec., at a height of 8.2 m above the water surface, where the mean wind velocity was 6.74 m/s. This burst period corresponds well with the peaks obtained from the autocorrelation of the streamwise velocity signal and the first moment of the stress spectrum. Furthermore, phase averages of these events show a structure which is similar to the structure of the events detected in the laboratory flows. / Master of Science