We consider the scaling of the mass flux and entrainment velocity across the turbulent/non-turbulent interface (TNTI) in the far field of an axisymmetric jet at high Reynolds number. Time-resolved, simultaneous multi-scale particle image velocimetry (PIV) and planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) are used to identify and track the TNTI, and directly measure the local entrainment velocity along it. Application of box-counting and spatial-filtering methods, with filter sizes $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E5}$ spanning over two decades in length, show that the mean length of the TNTI exhibits a power-law behaviour with a fractal dimension $D\approx 0.31{-}0.33$. More importantly, we invoke a multi-scale methodology to confirm that the mean mass flux, which is equal to the product of the entrainment velocity and the surface area, remains constant across the range of filter sizes. The results, within experimental uncertainty, also show that the entrainment velocity along the TNTI exhibits a power-law behaviour with $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E5}$, such that the entrainment velocity increases with increasing $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E5}$. In fact, the mean entrainment velocity scales at a rate that balances the scaling of the TNTI length such that the mass flux remains independent of the coarse-grain filter size, as first suggested by Meneveau & Sreenivasan (Phys. Rev. A, vol. 41, no. 4, 1990, pp. 2246–2248). Hence, at the smallest scales the entrainment velocity is small but is balanced by the presence of a very large surface area, whilst at the largest scales the entrainment velocity is large but is balanced by a smaller (smoother) surface area.

Previous numerical simulations have shown that vortex breakdown starts with the formation of a steady axisymmetric bubble and that an unsteady spiralling mode then develops on top of this. We investigate this spiral mode with a linear global stability analysis around the steady bubble and its wake. We obtain the linear direct and adjoint global modes of the linearized Navier-Stokes equations and overlap these to obtain the structural sensitivity of the spiral mode, which identifies the wavemaker region. We also identify regions of absolute instability with a local stability analysis. At moderate swirls, we find that the m = −1 azimuthal mode is the most unstable and that the wavemaker regions of the m = −1 mode lie around the bubble, which is absolutely unstable. The mode is most sensitive to feedback involving the radial and azimuthal components of momentum in the region just upstream of the bubble. To a lesser extent, the mode is also sensitive to feedback involving the axial component of momentum in regions of high shear around the bubble. At an intermediate swirl, in which the bubble and wake have similar absolute growth rates, other researchers have found that the wavemaker of the nonlinear global mode lies in the wake. We agree with their analysis but find that the regions around the bubble are more influential than the wake in determining the growth rate and frequency of the linear global mode. The results from this paper provide the first steps towards passive control strategies for spiral vortex breakdown.

In this paper we investigate the continuous, local exchange of fluid elements as they are entrained and detrained across the turbulent/non-turbulent interface (TNTI) in a high Reynolds number axisymmetric jet. To elucidate characteristic kinematic features of local entrainment and detrainment processes, simultaneous high-speed particle image velocimetry and planar laser-induced fluorescence measurements were undertaken. Using an interface-tracking technique, we evaluate and analyse the conditional dependence of local entrainment velocity in a frame of reference moving with the TNTI in terms of the interface geometry and the local flow field. We find that the local entrainment velocity is intermittent with a characteristic length scale of the order of the Taylor micro-scale and that the contribution to the net entrainment rate arises from the imbalance between local entrainment and detrainment rates that occurs with a ratio of two parts of entrainment to one part detrainment. On average, an increase in local entrainment is correlated with excursions of the TNTI towards jet centreline into regions of higher streamwise momentum, convex surface curvature facing the turbulent side of the jet and along the leading edges of the interface. In contrast, detrainment is correlated with excursions of the TNTI away from the jet centreline into regions of lower streamwise momentum, concave surface curvature and along the trailing edge. We find that strong entrainment is characterised by a local counterflow velocity field in the frame of reference moving with the TNTI which enhances the transport of rotational and irrotational fluid elements. On the other hand, detrainment is characterised by locally uniform flow fields with the local fluid velocity on either side of the TNTI advecting in the same direction. These local flow patterns and the strength of entrainment or detrainment rates are also observed to be strongly influenced by the presence and relative strength of vortical structures which are of the order of the Taylor micro-scale that populate the turbulent region along the jet boundary.

In this paper we examine the invariants p and q of the reduced 2 × 2 velocity gradient tensor (VGT) formed from a two-dimensional (2D) slice of an incompressible three-dimensional (3D) flow. Using data from both 2D particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements and 3D direct numerical simulations of various turbulent flows, we show that the joint probability density functions (p.d.f.s) of p and q exhibit a common characteristic asymmetric shape consistent with pq < 0. An explanation for this inequality is proposed. Assuming local homogeneity we derive p = 0 and q = 0. With the addition of local isotropy the sign of pq is proved to be the same as that of the skewness of ∂u 1 /∂x 1 , hence negative. This suggests that the observed asymmetry in the joint p.d.f.s of p-q stems from the universal predominance of vortex stretching at the smallest scales. Some advantages of this joint p.d.f. compared with that of Q-R obtained from the full 3 × 3 VGT are discussed. Analysing the eigenvalues of the reduced strain-rate matrix associated with the reduced VGT, we prove that in some cases the 2D data can unambiguously discriminate between the bi-axial (sheetforming) and axial (tube-forming) strain-rate configurations of the full 3 × 3 strain-rate tensor. IntroductionWith the arrival of data sets providing access to the full three-dimensional velocity gradient tensor (3D VGT), new ways of analysing this wealth of information have been introduced. The 3D VGT can be written as A ij = ∂u i /∂x j = S ij + W ij , where S ij is the symmetric rate-of-strain tensor and W ij is the antisymmetric rate-of-rotation tensor. One approach is to examine the eigenvalues of S ij . They indicate if the strain-rate tensor is compressing or extending along its principal axes, which in turn determines whether or not the overall strain-rate configuration at a point is sheet forming or tube forming. Another approach is to analyse the local flow topology using the invariants of A ij , as set out by the work of Chong, Perry & Cantwell (1990). In an incompressible flow the number of non-vanishing similarity invariants of the second-order tensor A ij reduces to two, namely Q and R. These two quantities can fully characterize the category to which the local flow topology belongs. The local flow topology refers to the streamline pattern of a region of the flow in the immediate vicinity of the point