Transition to turbulence in an oscillatory flow over a rough wall

Abstract

A study of the oscillatory incompressible flow close to a wall covered with fixed rigid spheres is carried out by numerical means to provide information on unsteady flows over a rough wall. The simulations are carried out for two bottom configurations, characterized by different values of the diameter of the spheres and different values of the Reynolds number for a total of 10 cases. Three different flow regimes are identified as functions of both the Reynolds number and the diameter of the spheres. The force exerted by the flow on the spheres is discussed also in relation to the different flow regimes.