The effect of large-scale forcing on small-scale dynamics of incompressible turbulence

Abstract

The subtle but crucial effects of large-scale forcing on the small-scale velocity-gradient (VG) dynamics is examined using direct numerical simulation (DNS) data of incompressible turbulence. The interplay among large-scale forcing, inertia, pressure and viscous effects is characterised as a function of local streamline geometry and VG magnitude (Frobenius norm). When conditioned on local topology, forcing: (i) counteracts inertial and viscous action in the strain-dominated nodal topologies; and (ii) balances pressure action in the rotation-dominated unstable focal topologies. Unexpectedly, forcing acts to reduce VG magnitudes in regions of strong dissipation. In these regions, forcing balances the non-local pressure effects whereas viscous action offsets the nonlinear inertial effects. In regions of very low dissipation, forcing combines with inertia and pressure effects to offset viscous action. With regard to the probability distribution of the normalised VG invariants, the primary role of forcing is to nullify certain features (dilatational probability currents) of inertia, pressure and viscous action. This results in the emergence of universal statistical features (solenoidal probability currents) that are determined largely by inertia–pressure–viscous interactions. These findings serve to enhance our understanding of small-scale processes in turbulence and guide VG model development.