Effect of free-stream turbulence on a moderate adverse pressure gradient turbulent boundary layer developing over an airfoil

Abstract

Turbulent boundary layers (TBLs) subjected to adverse pressure gradients (APGs) are common to industrial aerodynamic applications, yet the effect of freestream turbulence (FST) on TBLs developing under moderate APGs remains insufficiently understood. Wind-tunnel experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of FST on a developing TBL over a NACA 0015 airfoil. Varying the angle of attack (2 and 4$^\circ$) adjusted the pressure gradient, and hotwire anemometry measured boundary layer properties at different chordwise positions ($x/c$ = 0.400--0.625, with $β= δ^*/τ_0 dP/dx$ = 0.2-1.5). The FST level was increased using static grids, resulting in levels ranging from 0.15 to 6$\%$. The chord-based Reynolds number was kept constant at around 250,000 for all configurations. The results show that increasing FST systematically modifies the mean-flow development of the APG boundary layer. Higher FST levels reduce the shape factor and partially suppress the APG-induced wake in the mean velocity profile, while increasing the skin-friction coefficient towards values closer to canonical ZPG behaviour. The streamwise velocity variance is amplified in both the inner and outer regions, and spectral analysis shows that this increase is associated with energetic large-scale motions introduced by the freestream turbulence, with characteristic wavelengths of order $λ_x/δ\approx 13$. These large scale structures penetrate into the boundary layer and contribute to the near-wall variance, with a stronger effect observed as the adverse pressure gradient increases. The results show that FST is a governing parameter in developing APG TBLs over airfoils and that its influence is amplified by the pressure gradient. It must therefore be considered when interpreting mean-flow evolution, turbulence statistics, and scale interactions in realistic aerodynamic environments.