Turbulent Boundary Layers Over Surfaces Smoothed by Sanding

Abstract

Flat-plate turbulent boundary layer measurements have been made on painted surfaces, smoothed by sanding. The measurements were conducted in a closed return water tunnel, over a momentum thickness Reynolds number (Reθ) range of 3000 to 16,000, using a two-component laser Doppler velocimeter (LDV). The mean velocity and Reynolds stress profiles are compared with those for smooth and sandgrain rough walls. The results indicate an increase in the boundary layer thickness (δ) and the integral length scales for the unsanded, painted surface compared to a smooth wall. More significant increases in these parameters, as well as the skin-friction coefficient (Cf) were observed for the sandgrain surfaces. The sanded surfaces behave similarly to the smooth wall for these boundary layer parameters. The roughness functions (ΔU+) for the sanded surfaces measured in this study agree within their uncertainty with previous results obtained using towing tank tests and similarity law analysis. The present results indicate that the mean profiles for all of the surfaces collapse well in velocity defect form. The Reynolds stresses also show good collapse in the overlap and outer regions of the boundary layer when normalized with the wall shear stress.