Turbulence mechanism in Klebanoff transition: a quantitative comparison of experiment and direct numerical simulation

The mechanism of turbulence development in periodic Klebanoff transition in a boundary layer has been studied experimentally and in a direct numerical simulation (DNS) with controlled disturbance excitation. In order to compare the results quantitatively, the flow parameters were matched in both methods, thus providing complementary data with which the origin of turbulence in the transition process could be explained. Good agreement was found for the development of the amplitude and shape of typical disturbance structures, the Λ-vortices, including the development of ring-like vortices and spikes in the time traces. The origin and the spatial development of random velocity perturbations were measured in the experiment, and are shown together with the evolution of local high-shear layers. Since the DNS is capable of providing the complete velocity and vorticity fields, further conclusions are drawn based on the numerical data. The mechanisms involved in the flow randomization process are presented in detail. It is shown how the random perturbations which initially develop at the spike-positions in the outer part of the boundary layer influence the flow randomization process close to the wall. As an additional effect, the interaction of vortical structures and high-shear layers of different disturbance periods was found to be responsible for accelerating the transition to a fully developed turbulent flow. These interactions lead to a rapid intensification of a high-shear layer very close to the wall that quickly breaks down because of the modulation it experiences through interactions with vortex structures from the outer part of the boundary layer. The final breakdown process will be shown to be dominated by locally appearing vortical structures and shear layers.