Outer scaling of self-similar adverse-pressure-gradient turbulent boundary layers

Abstract

The prediction of turbulent boundary layer (TBL) flow over a convex surface as in aircraft wings or gas turbine blades is a challenging problem. Finding a universal scaling law of turbulence statistics of TBLs over a wide range of adverse pressure gradients (APG) remains unresolved. Here, we introduce characteristic length and velocity scales for APG-TBLs and nondimensionalise the turbulence statistics of the recent canonical self-similar APG-TBLs by Kitsios {\it et al.} ({\it J. Fluid Mech.}, vol.829, 2018, pp. 392--419). The characteristic length scale, which is termed the `shear thickness', $δ^\ast$, is defined as the location which corresponds to the end of an actively sheared region in a turbulent shear flow, where the nondimensional shear rate normalised by the kinetic energy and the dissipation rate is approximately constant. Next, we show a universal scaling using a mixed velocity, termed the `friction-pressure velocity', $u^\ast$, which is based on total shear stress. It is revealed that the velocity fluctuations and the Reynolds stresses in TBLs over a wide range of APGs agree well with those in TBLs with zero-pressure-gradient (ZPG). The present scaling is used to scale the kinetic energy balance in TBLs, and compare them to other shear flows. Furthermore, a scaling for small-scale properties, i.e. vorticities, using $δ^\ast$ and $u^\ast$ is also obtained assuming the local equilibrium in the inertial range. The present scaling for wall-bounded shear flows, including TBLs over a wide range of pressure gradients, implies that the underlying instantaneous turbulence structures have common features under a proper scaling and is key to the development and application of turbulent models.