arXiv subjects

Wen-Feng Zhou

Publications and source records attributed to Wen-Feng Zhou.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2022

Existence of bistable states in curved compression ramp flows

This paper reports the bistability of curved compression ramp (CCR) flows. It reveals that both separation and attachment states can be stably established even for the same boundary conditions. Firstly, to investigate the effects of initial condition and evolutionary history, a thought experiment involving two processes with the same three steps but in different orders is designed, possibly constructing the two distinct-different stable CCR flows. Subsequently, three-dimensional direct numerical simulations are then performed to replicate the thought experiment, verifying the existence of the bistable states in CCR flows. In the end, the method of virtual separation disturbance is proposed to detect whether potential bistable states exist, theoretically demonstrating the bistability of CCR flows. As a canonical type of Shock waveBoundary layer interactions, local CCR flows often appear on aircraft, hence the bistability will certainly bring noteworthy changes to the global aerothermodynamic characteristics, which supersonic/hypersonic flight has to deal with.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2021

Hypersonic curved compression ramp flows with bistable states

The bistable states and separation hysteresis in curved compression ramp (CCR) flows, and the corresponding aerothermal characteristics (including wall friction, pressure and heat flux), are studied numerically and theoretically. Direct numerical simulations of separation hysteresis induced by variation of turning angle, as well as the influence of inflow Mach number and wall temperature on hysteresis loops, are carried out. Distributions of wall friction, pressure and heat flux are analyzed. Further, emergence of wall friction's first and second minima in the separation bubble is interpreted, revealing it is dominated by the adverse pressure gradient induced by separation and reattachment shocks. The present results and analysis indicate that the reversed-flow singularity of Smith (Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. A. Mathematical and Physical Sciences, 1988, 420: 21-52) is less likely to occur in CCR flows. The prediction of peak pressure of separation states confirms the model based on the minimum viscous dissipation theorem (Physics of Fluids, 2020, 32(10):101702). While the pressure overshoot can be analyzed by shock-polars with pressure match of compression and expansion process. The correlation between peak heat flux and peak pressure rise of both separation and attachment states is also discussed in terms of the classical power relations.

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arXiv2021

Mechanism of separation hysteresis in curved compression ramp

A new spatial-related mechanism is proposed to understand separation hysteresis processes in curved compression ramp (CCR) flows discovered recently (Hu et al. Phy. Fluid, 32(11): 113601, 2020). Two separation hystereses, induced by variations of Mach number and wall temperature, are investigated numerically. The two hystereses indicate that there must exist parameter intervals of Mach number and wall temperature, wherein both attachment and separation states can be established stably. The relationships between the aerodynamic characteristics (including wall friction, pressure and heat flux) and the shock wave configurations in this two hystereses are analyzed. Further, the adverse pressure gradient (APG) Isb(x) induced by the upstream separation process and APG Icw(x) induced by the downstream isentropic compression process are estimated by classic theories. The trend of boundary layer APG resistence Ib(x) is evaluated from the spatial distributions of the physical quantities such as the shape factor and the height of the sound velocity line. With the stable conditions of separation and attachment, a self-consistent mechanism is obtained when Isb, Icw and Ib have appropriate spatial distributions.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2020

Prediction of shock wave configurations in compression ramp flows

Here, we provide a theoretical framework revealing that a steady compression ramp flow must have the minimal dissipation of kinetic energy, and can be demonstrated using the least action principle. For a given inflow Mach number $M_{0}$ and ramp angle $α$, the separation angle $θ_{s}$ manifesting flow system states can be determined based on this theory. Thus, both the shapes of shock wave configurations and pressure peak $p_{peak}$ behind reattachment shock waves are predictable. These theoretical predictions agree excellently with both experimental data and numerical simulations, covering a wide range of $M_{0}$ and $α$. In addition, for a large separation, the theory indicates that $θ_{s}$ only depends on $M_{0}$ and $α$, but is independent of the Reynolds number $Re$ and wall temperature $T_{w}$. These facts suggest that the proposed theoretical framework can be applied to other flow systems dominated by shock waves, which are ubiquitous in aerospace engineering.

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arXiv2020

Origin of hysteresis in shock wave reflection

We report the mechanism of the hysteresis in the transition between Regular and Mach reflections. A new discovery is that, the hysteresis loop is in fact the projection of a higher dimensional path, i.e. the valley lines in the surface of dissipation, of which minimal values correspond to stable reflection configurations. Since the saddle-nodes bifurcate the valleies of the surface, they are actually the transition points of the two reflections. Furthermore, the predicted reflection configurations agree well with the experimental and numerical results, which is a validation of this theory.

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arXiv2019

Boundary layer structure in turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard convection in a slim box

The logarithmic law of mean temperature profile has been observed in different regions in Rayleigh-Bénard turbulence. However, how thermal plumes correlate to the log law of temperature and how the velocity profile changes with pressure gradient are not fully understood. Here, we performed three-dimensional simulations of Rayleigh-Bénard turbulence in a slim-box without the front and back walls with aspect ratio, $L:D:H=1:1/6:1$, in the Rayleigh number $Ra=[1\times10^8, 1\times10^{10}]$ for Prandtl number $Pr=0.7$. The velocity profile is successfully quantified by a two-layer function of a stress length, $\ell_u^+\approx \ell_0^+(z^+)^{3/2}\left[1+\left({z^+}/{z_{sub}^+}\right)^4\right]^{1/4}$, as proposed by She et al. (She 2017), though neither a Prandtl-Blasius-Pohlhausen type nor the log-law is seen in the viscous boundary layer. In contrast, the temperature profile in the plume-ejecting region is logarithmic for all simulated cases, being attributed to the emission of thermal plumes. The coefficient of the temperature log-law, $A$ can be described by composition of the thermal stress length $\ell^*_θ$ and the thicknesses of thermal boundary layer $z^*_{sub}$ and $z^*_{buf}$, i.e. $A\simeq z^*_{sub}/\left(\ell^*_{θ0}{z^*_{buf}}^{3/2}\right)$. The adverse pressure gradient responsible for turning the wind direction contributes to thermal plumes gathering at the ejecting region and thus the log-law of temperature profile. The Nusselt number scaling and local heat flux of the present simulations are consistent with previous results in confined cells. Therefore, the slim-box RBC is a preferable system for investigating in-box kinetic and thermal structures of turbulent convection with the large-scale circulation on a fixed plane.

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arXiv2018

Similarity model for corner roll in turbulent Rayleigh-Benard convection

The corner roll (CR) in the Rayleigh-Bénard (RB) convection accounts for the behaviors of heat transport and convection flow at the corner. Streamlines of the three-dimensional direct numerical simulations for $10^8<Ra<5\times10^9$ show that CR presents well-defined similarity and multi-layer structure. A stream function for CR is developed by homotopy and the structure ensemble dynamics. The model presents the scaling of Reynolds number of corner roll $Re_{cr}\sim Ra^{1/4}$. Scaling of CR scale $r = 0.77 Ra^{-0.085}$ indicates strong near-wall shearing induced by wind and provides a probability of the `ultimate regime' at high $Ra$.

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