The effect of the Reynolds number on the Reynolds stresses and vorticity in a turbulent far-wake

Using two orthogonal arrays of 16 X-wires, eight in the (x,y)-plane and eig ht in the (x,z)-plane, the effect of the Reynolds number in a turbulent pla ne far-wake has been investigated for two values of Re-theta (based on the free stream velocity and the momentum thickness), i.e. 1350 and 4600. It is observed that as the Reynolds number increases the magnitudes of the measu red Reynolds stresses increase, as does the size of two-point vorticity cor relation iso-contours. Discernible differences are also observed in probabi lity density function, spectra and three-dimensional topologies. The Reynol ds number dependence seems to vanish when Re-theta greater than or equal to 5000. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.