On the formation of longitudinal vortices in a turbulent boundary layer over wavy terrain (Q4354533)

The parallel inviscid \(0(1)\) shear interacting with \(0(\varepsilon)\) spanwise-independent neutral rotational Rayleigh waves is used to model turbulent boundary layer flow over small-amplitude rigid wavy terrain. Of specific interest is the instability of the flow to spanwise-periodic initially exponentially growing longitudinal vortex modes via the Craik-Leibovich CL2-0(1) instability mechanism. Both the model and experiment depict an instability to longitudinal vortex form. In modelling the flow, two profiles were chosen: a power law and the logarithmic law of the wall. Important in wave mean interactions of this class are the effect of wave-induced fluctuations upon the mean state and the influence of the developing mean flow on the fluctuating part of the motion. The former is described by a generalized Lagrangian-mean formulation; the latter by a modified Rayleigh equation. Together they comprise an eigenvalue problem for the growth rate appropriate to the initial stages of the instability. In comparing the results with experiment, it is first shown that spanwise-independent waves excited in experiment [\textit{W. Gong}, \textit{P. A. Taylor} and \textit{A. Dörnbrack}, J. Fluid Mech. 312, 1-37 (1996)] depict velocity fluctuations whose amplitudes diminish with altitude in accordance with those for appropriate Rayleigh waves. Consequently, the longitudinal vortices depict transverse velocity components that are weaker by a factor of \(\varepsilon\) than the axial perturbation, and are observed to grow at a rate consistent with exponential growth. All are key features of CL2-0(1), although the observed growth rate is not in accordance with the maximal rate suggested by inviscid instability theory. It appears that the spanwise wavenumber takes a value at which energy is extracted from the mean motion in an optimal volume-averaged sense, minimizing energy loss for both viscous dissipation and small-scale turbulence. It is concluded that the CL2-0(1) instability mechanism is physically realizable and that the data of the above experiment represent the first documented observation thereof.