Characteristics of vorticity fluctuations in a turbulent wake

Abstract

Measurements of the lateral components of the vorticity fluctuation have been made in the self-preserving turbulent wake of a circular cylinder. Each component was obtained separately using two X-wires separated in the appropriate lateral directions. The two velocity derivatives which make up the streamwise vorticity component were also determined but not simultaneously. An approximation to the streamwise vorticity was made from these measurements. Moments, probability density functions and spectra of the three vorticity components across the wake are presented and discussed. The high-wavenumber behaviour of the spectra is compared with calculations, based on local isotropy. Satisfactory agreement with the calculations is obtained for the lateral vorticity components over a significant high-wavenumber range. The approximated streamwise vorticity spectrum tends towards the isotropic calculation at very large wavenumbers.