Identification of Transition to Turbulence in a Highly Accelerated Start-Up Pipe Flow

Abstract

The transition from a laminar to a turbulent flow in highly accelerated start-up pipe flows is described. In these flows, turbulence springs up simultaneously over the entire length of the pipe near the wall. The unsteady boundary layer in the pipe was analyzed theoretically with the Laplace transformation method and the asymptotic method for small values of time. From the experimental results available, relationships between the flow parameters and the transition time were derived. These relationships are characterized by the analytical forms. A physical explanation for the regularities in the turbulence spring-up time is proposed.