Self-sustained low-frequency components in an impinging shear layer

Abstract

Oscillations of a cavity shear layer, involving a downstream-travelling wave and associated vortex formation, its impingement upon the cavity corner, and upstream influence of this vortex-corner interaction are the subject of this experimental investigation. Spectral analysis of the downstream-travelling wave reveals low-frequency components having substantial amplitudes relative to that of the fundamental (instability) frequency component; using bicoherence analysis it is shown that the lowest-frequency component can interact with the fundamental either to reinforce itself or to produce an additional (weaker) low-frequency component. In both cases, all frequency components exhibit an overall phase difference of almost 2 k π( k = 1, 2,…) between separation and impingement. Furthermore, the low-frequency and fundamental components have approximately the same amplitude growth rates and phase speeds; this suggests that the instability wave is amplitude-modulated at the low frequency, as confirmed by the form of instantaneous velocity traces. At the downstream corner of the cavity, successive vortices, arising from the amplified instability wave, undergo organized variations in (transverse) impingement location, producing a low-frequency component(s) of corner pressure. The spectral content and instantaneous trace of this impingement pressure are consistent with those of velocity fluctuations near the (upstream) shear-layer separation edge, giving evidence of the strong upstream influence of the corner region.