Charecterization of inertial and pressure effects in homogeneous turbulence

Abstract

The objective of the thesis is to characterize the linear and nonlinear aspects of inertial and pressure effects in turbulent flows. In the first part of the study, computations of Navier-Stokes and 3D Burgers equations are performed in the rapid distortion (RD) limit to analyze the inviscid linear processes in homogeneous turbulence. By contrasting the results of Navier- Stokes RD equations and Burgers RD equations, the effect of pressure can be isolated. The evolution of turbulent kinetic energy and anisotropy components and invariants are examined. In the second part of the thesis, the velocity gradient dynamics in turbulent flows are studied with the help of inviscid 3D Burgers equations and restricted Euler equations. The analytical asymptotic solutions of velocity gradient tensor are obtained for both Burgers and restricted Euler equations. Numerical computations are also performed to identify the stable solutions. The results are compared and contrasted to identify the effect of pressure on nonlinear velocity gradient dynamics. Of particular interest are the sign of the intermediate principle strain-rate and tendency of vorticity to align with the intermediate principle strain-rate. These aspects of velocity gradients provide valuable insight into the role of pressure in the energy cascade process.