Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-p2v8j Total loading time: 0.001 Render date: 2024-05-16T01:53:55.304Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Turbulent stretching of line and surface elements

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 April 2006

I. T. Drummond
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge, Silver Street, Cambridge CB3 9EW, UK
W. Münch
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge, Silver Street, Cambridge CB3 9EW, UK

Abstract

Material line and surface elements transported in a turbulent velocity field increase in length or area at an exponential rate. In this paper we investigate how the stretching rates are related to the statistical properties of the velocity field both analytically and numerically in simple models of turbulence. In a Gaussian model the statistics exhibit time-reversal invariance. We demonstrate that, as pointed out by Kraichnan (1974), this leads to equality of line and area stretching rates. We also construct a model which violates the time-reversal property and splits the values of the rates for lines and surfaces. The sign of the splitting depends on the sign of the time-reversal breakdown.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 1990 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Batchelor, G. K. 1952 The effect of homogeneous turbulence on material lines and surfaces. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A213, 349.Google Scholar
Cocke, W. J. 1969 Turbulent hydrodynamic line stretching: consequences of isotropy. Phys. Fluids 12, 2448.Google Scholar
Drummond, I. T., Duane, S. & Horgan, R. R. 1984 Scalar diffusion in simulated helical turbulence with molecular diffusivity. J. Fluid Mech. 138, 75.Google Scholar
Kraichnan, R. H. 1970 Diffusion by a random velocity field. Phys. Fluids 13, 22.Google Scholar
Kraichnan, R. H. 1974 Convection of a passive scalar by a quasi-uniform random straining field. J. Fluid Mech. 64, 737.Google Scholar
Orszag, S. A. 1970 Comments on ‘Turbulent hydrodynamic line stretching: consequences of isotropy’, Phys. Fluids 13, 2203.Google Scholar
Press, W. H., Flannery, B. P., Teukolsky, S. A. & Vetterling, W. T. 1986 Numerical Recipes, Cambridge University Press.