Langley Research Center Turbulence Modeling Resource

LES: 2-D Curved Backward-Facing Step

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The data on this page were provided by S. Lardeau of CD-ADAPCO.

This LES case is for 2-D separating flow over a curved ramp. The LES was run using an incompressible code, and has been documented in the following publications:

• Bentaleb, Y., Lardeau, S., and Leschziner, M. A., 2012. "Large-eddy simulation of turbulent boundary layer separation from a rounded step," Journal of Turbulence 13(4), pp. 1-28, https://doi.org/10.1080/14685248.2011.637923.
• Lardeau, S. and Leschziner, M. A., 2011. "The interaction of round synthetic jets with a turbulent boundary layer separating from a rounded ramp," J. Fluid Mech. 683, pp. 172-211, https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2011.258.

Note that there is a typo in both references in the equation for the curved ramp geometry. The corrected curved backstep geometry definition is given below.

This LES simulation was produced in a joint research program between the University of Manchester and Imperial College, with Manchester producing the experimental data, as described on the Exp: Round Synthetic Jets for Separation Control on 2-D Curved Backward-Facing Step page, and Imperial College undertaking the LES simulations described here.

Some relevant information is given here, but the interested reader is referred to the above publications for complete details:

• Upstream duct height = 8.52 H (where H = step height).
• Reynolds number (based on U_in and H) = 13700, where U_in is the center-channel inlet velocity.
• At x/H=-7.34 (the computational domain inlet), Re_theta=1190 and B.L. thickness=0.8 H.

Long-time averaged LES data are provided below (on a grid normalized to backstep height H=1). These results are from a grid with approximately 23.6 million grid cells, covering a spanwise extent of 3.17 H with 192 cells in the spanwise direction. Additional details about the LES grid and methodology can be found in the above references.

• Curved backstep geometry definition (updated 10/16/2015)
• README_gridpoints_curvedbackstep.txt
• Grid points in x-y plane, gzipped file curvedbackstep_grid_n.dat.gz (0.3 MB)
   
• README_p_vel_and_turb_curvedbackstep.txt
• Average pressures, velocities & turbulence quantities, gzipped file curvedbackstep_vel_stress.dat.gz (5.3 MB)
   
• README_budgets_curvedbackstep.txt
• Budget terms, gzipped file curvedbackstep_budgets_all.dat.gz (13.4 MB)
   
• Wall Quantities

Auxiliary postprocessed information:

• README_vel_derivs_curvedbackstep.txt <- New as of 3/12/2012!
• Postprocessed velocity derivatives, gzipped file curvedbackstep_vel_derivs.dat.gz (4.9 MB) <- New file as of 3/12/2012!

Return to: Data from LES - Intro Page

Recent significant updates:
06/10/2020 - added link to corresponding experimental data
10/16/2015 - corrected geometry definition

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Last Updated: 11/05/2021