An experimental study of the developing structural characteristics of a two-dimensional jet in an extremely quiet environment was performed. The jet, at an exit Reynolds number of 6000 and with fluctuation intensity under 0.2% at the mouth, was operated within a large anechoic room. Measurements of energy spectra, fluctuation phase angles and two-dimensionality led to the inference of structural patterns in the flow. These patterns are initially characterized by relatively strong symmetric modes exhibiting limited two-dimensionality and oriented parallel to the mouth of the jet. Subsequent downstream evolution led to the formation of an antisymmetric pattern beyond the jet potential core and the associated development of extended structures possessing a definite large lateral inclination. The results of this work suggest a developing large-scale structural pattern more complicated than previously supposed.

Correlations of the instantaneous velocity fluctuations on opposite sides of a subsonic plane jet have been measured. These indicate that there is a measurable flapping of the jet. The frequency of the flapping is estimated by taking the correlation with one signal delayed in time.

The case of bubble formation in both quiescent and moving streams due to the injection of a constant gas flow through a small tube is considered. Relationships predicting the expected size and quantity of bubbles generated are proposed. These are compared with measurements taken with stream velocities up to 9 ft/sec, while generating gas bubbles from 40 to 700 microns in diameter. For the case of generation in a quiescent stream the forces due to the virtual mass, surface tension, viscous drag, buoyancy, and the wake formed by the preceding bubble are accounted for. There still remains some question (only partly answered by a comparison with measurements) as to the proper added mass coefficient and the geometry of the bubble previous to detachment, as well as an adequate estimate of the interaction with a preceding bubble’s wake. The proposed model for generation in a moving stream is in good agreement with actual measurements for co-flowing velocities between 1 and 9 fps and capillary tubes in the order of 10−3 cm in dia.

An investigation into the magnitude and direction of the convective velocity in a plane air jet was performed. Convective velocities were obtained from cross-correlation measurements. They are defined as the ratio of the spacing between two hot-wire probes and the time delay between their signals to reach maximum correlation. These velocities were larger in magnitude than the local mean velocities for lateral distances greater than the half-width of the jet. Frequency analysis of the convective velocity indicates that the large-scale eddies move slower than the mean flow while the small scales move faster. Based on the convective velocity vector, broadband ‘convection lines’ were defined and found to point outward with respect to the streamlines for all values of y/b [Gt ] 0·5. Likewise, frequency investigation indicates that ‘convection lines’ point outward for all y/b [Lt ] 1·3 and then inward for larger values of y/b.

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