WAVE BREAKDOWN AND TURBULENCE

The phenomenon of wave breakdown is defined as the onset of a violent small-scale secondary instability developing on a large-scale primary disturbance of wave-like traveling type. It is suggested that breakdown together with the ensuing violent mixing process (a turbulent "burst") constitutes the dominant nonlinear mechanism for the fluctuating velocity field in a turbulent boundary layer. A burst regeneration mechanism is proposed whereby one breakdown can excite large velocity defects in the shear flow which then may trigger a new breakdown, thus leading to self-maintenance of the turbulence.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00361399
• Corporate Authors:

  Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics

  3600 Market Street
  Philadelphia, PA  United States  19104-2688
• Authors:
  • Landahl, M T
• Publication Date: 1975-6

Media Info

• Features: Appendices;
• Pagination: p. 735-756
• Serial:
  • SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics
  • Volume: 28
  • Issue Number: 4
  • Publisher: Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics
  • ISSN: 0036-1399

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Boundary layer; Turbulence; Turbulent boundary layer; Velocity; Waveform analysis
• Old TRIS Terms: Velocity fluctuations
• Subject Areas: Design; Marine Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00126800
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Engineering Index
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 5 1975 12:00AM