Scaling properties of the streamwise component of velocity in a turbulent boundary layer

Abstract

Experimental results concerning the statistics of the streamwise component of velocity in a turbulent boundary layer near a solid wall are presented. Energy spectra, probability density functions and velocity structure functions are investigated as a function of the distance to the wall. Energy spectra and structure functions display power-law scalings which depend on this distance. On the other hand, the relative behavior of structure functions remains constant in the logarithmic sublayer. This behavior exhibits two distinct power-laws. At small scales, relative scaling exponents are relatively close to those usually reported in isotropic and homogeneous turbulence. At larger scales, where shear effects are dominant, relative exponents display larger intermittency corrections. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.