Visualization of Pressure Field in Turbulent Wake Between Two Bluff Bodies

Abstract

An experimental method to visualize the instantaneous pressure field in turbulent flow has been proposed. Numerical solution of the discrete Poisson equation for pressure was sought, where the instantaneous velocity data was supplied by PIV measurement. The validity of the method was assessed by referring to available DNS data for wake of a rectangular cylinder. The method was applied to evaluate the instantaneous pressure distribution in the region between two columns set in tandem in uniform flow. It is shown that the correlation between fluctuating velocity and pressure gradient plays an important role in determining the turbulence structure in the wake, which is indicated by the fact that the normal component of Reynolds stress in front of the column set in the wake of another is extremely large where the velocity-pressure correlation overtakes the production rate.