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The Diagnostic Plot—A Tutorial with a Ten Year Perspective

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Part of the book series: Springer Proceedings in Physics ((SPPHY,volume 267))

Abstract

The diagnostic plot was introduced in 2010 (Eur. J. Mech. B/Fluids 29: 403–406) but was used already in 2008 during a large measurement campaign as a litmus test to determine if tripped zero-pressure gradient turbulent boundary layers fulfilled basic criteria of being canonical. It used the rms-level of streamwise velocity (\(u_\mathrm {rms}\)) in the outer part of the boundary layer, a region where \(u_\mathrm {rms}\) can give clear indications if insufficient or too tough tripping has been used. In standard plots one needs both the friction velocity and measurement of the full velocity and turbulence profiles. By instead plotting \(u_\mathrm {rms}/U_\infty \) as a function of \(U/U_\infty \), it was found that this gives rise to a well-defined distribution that could be used as a canonical measure. It was later discovered that it is possible to extend the description to the near wall region. It has also been extended to boundary layers over rough surfaces and with pressure gradients, and some further uses. This paper aims to be both a review of the development of the method during the last 10+ years and a tutorial for those who want to employ it in their research and maybe also find new uses of the methodology.

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Acknowledgements

We like to acknowledge professor Masaharu Matsubara for making the data from his laboratory available for Fig. 1. We also want to acknowledge the cooperation with professors Ian Castro and Joe Klewicki during the development of extensions of the diagnostic method, as well as many other researchers who have employed the idea and found it useful in various flow situations.

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Correspondence to P. Henrik Alfredsson .

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Alfredsson, P.H., Segalini, A., Örlü, R. (2021). The Diagnostic Plot—A Tutorial with a Ten Year Perspective. In: Örlü, R., Talamelli, A., Peinke, J., Oberlack, M. (eds) Progress in Turbulence IX. iTi 2021. Springer Proceedings in Physics, vol 267. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80716-0_17

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