The Impact of Steady Blowing from the Leading Edge of an Open Cavity Flow

Abstract

Cavity flows occur in a wide range of low-speed applications (Mach number ≤0.3), such as aircraft wheel wells, ground transportation, and pipelines. In the current study, a steady jet is forced from a cavity leading edge at different momentum fluxes (0.11 kg/ms2, 0.44 kg/m·s2, and 0.96 kg/m·s2). The investigation was performed for an open cavity with length to depth ratio of 4 at the Reynolds number based on a cavity depth of approximately 50,000. Particle image velocimetry, surface oil flow visualisation, constant temperature anemometry, and pressure measurements were performed in this investigation. The aim of the jet blowing is to separate the cavity separated shear layer from the recirculation zone to reduce the cavity return flow, and hence stabilise the cavity separated shear layer. It was found that increasing the jet momentum flux causes an increase in the cavity return flow due to the increase in the thickness of the cavity separated shear layer. The study also found that the jet populates the separated shear layer with a large number of small-scale disturbances. These disturbances increase the broad band level of the pressure power spectra and Reynolds shear stress in the cavity separated shear layer. On the other hand, the jet disturbances make the shedding of the large vortical structures more intermittent.