2317

The effect of convex wall curvature on the

structure of the turbulent boundary layer
A B Khoshnevis1 , S Hariri2∗ , and M Farzaneh-Gord3
1
Faculty of Engineering, Sabzevar Tarbiyat Moallem University, Sabzevar, Iran
2
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Shahrood University of Technology, Shahrood, Iran
3
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Shahrood University of Technology, Shahrood, Iran

The manuscript was received on 2 January 2009 and was accepted after revision for publication on 9 April 2009.

DOI: 10.1243/09544062JMES1496

Abstract: Effects of convex wall curvature on turbulent boundary layer flow are studied in this
article using a numerical method. Since the non-linear k−ε model often used in engineering
applications cannot satisfy the distribution and wall-limiting behaviour of the Reynolds stress
components, an improved low Reynolds number k−ε turbulence model has been employed to
model turbulences in this study. Based on numerical solutions, turbulent intensity, turbulent
shear stress, and mean velocity are calculated. The results show that the turbulent intensities and
turbulent shear stresses are decreased on convex walls compared with flat plates under similar
conditions. The numerical results also show that for the boundary layer on convex surfaces, the
stabilizing effects lead to less turbulent momentum exchange between fluid particles. The rate
of integral parameters of the boundary layer such as momentum thickness and displacement
thickness is reduced on convex curvature compared to their values on the flat plate. To validate
the numerical method, the numerical results have been compared with previous measured values
and good agreement has been obtained.

Keywords: boundary layer equations, convex curvature, low Reynolds number turbulence
model, shear stress, turbulence intensities

1 INTRODUCTION
Flow over curved surfaces in the plane of the mean
shear stress has many engineering applications. Exam-
ples are boundary layers on aircraft wings and bodies,
turbo machinery nozzle section, aerofoil wakes, and
other free flows deflected by obstacles or pressure
forces. The extra rates of strain produced by curvature
are known to have an impact on turbulent structure.
Accordingly, even for a small ratio of shear layer thick-
ness to curvature radius, significant changes in the
flow parameters have been observed. The experiments
by Smits et al. [1] and Castro and Bradshaw [2] showed
a non-monotonic recovery of the flow from curva-
ture, which, on the other hand, was not observed
by Gillis and Johnston [3] in their boundary layer
∗ Corresponding author: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering,
Shahrood University of Technology, Daneshgah Avenue, Shahrood,
Semnan, Iran.
email: hariri.saeed@gmail.com
study. Castro and Bradshaw [2], Muck et al. [4], and
Hoffmann et al. [5] have argued that at least a turbu-
lence closure involving the solution of modelled forms
of Reynolds stress equations is necessary to account
for the over proportional response of the turbulence
structure to streamline curvature. Irwin and Smith [6],
Gibson et al. [7], and Rodi and Scheuerer [8] have
shown that models of this closure level produce the
effects of a prolonged influence of curvature with very
good quantitative agreement.
As mentioned by So and Mellor [9], the stability of
a turbulent flow influenced by centrifugal forces was
first studied by Prandtel who extended the analogy
between buoyancy and curvature effect to turbulent
boundary layer flow.
Measurement in fully developed turbulent flow in
curved channels by Eskinazi and Yeh [10] and Ellis
and Joubert [11] also indicated stabilization on the
convex side channel and destabilization on the con-
cave side. However crossover effects near the channel
centreline prevent the effects from being isolated. In
addition, longitudinal vortices were not observed in
these experiments.

JMES1496 Proc. IMechE Vol. 223 Part C: J. Mechanical Engineering Science

2318 A B Khoshnevis, S Hariri, and M Farzaneh-Gord
The response of a well-developed turbulent bound-
ary layer to suddenly applied convex surface curvature
was investigated by Muck et al. [4]. They used con-
ditional sampling techniques so that the turbulent
and non-turbulent regions of the flow could be clearly
distinguished. They concluded that mild convex cur-
vature, with a radius of curvature of the order of 100
times the boundary layer thickness, tends to atten-
uate the pre-existing turbulence, apparently without
producing large changes in the statistical average
eddy shape. Also, curved shear layers may exhibit
near-equilibrium behaviour if the ratio of shear layer
thickness to streamline curvature is independent of
downstream distance.
A general review of curvature effects also was given
by Gillis and Johnston [3]. Several other researchers
(e.g. So and Mellor [9, 12], Ramaprian and Shivaprasad
[13]) have reported measurements of the Reynolds
stresses in convex-curved boundary layers. Ramaprian
and Shivaprasad [13] measured triple products, but
used non-linearized constant current hot wires so that
the results are not reliable. Furthermore, at the time
that the work was started, the only experiment that
included triple product measurements (so that all the
terms in the Reynolds-stress transport equation could
be deduced) was the work of Castro and Bradshaw
[2] on a stably curved mixing layer with a very short
region of curvature. Gibson et al. [7] have measured
velocity and temperature-fluctuation statistics up to
third order in rig.
A significant contribution to the study of the effect
of curvature was made by Bradshaw [14, 15]. In these
studies, he described an analogy between stream-
line curvature and buoyancy and proposed a relation
between mixing length and parameters called the Cur-
vature Richardson number. He also observed that the
curvature parameter (ratio of shear layer thickness to
the radius of curvature, δ/R) 1/300 was enough to alter
the length scale by as much as 10 per cent.
It seemed appropriate to extend the work of
Meroney and Bradshaw [16] to include triple-product
measurement and conditional sampling in order to
provide comprehensive documentation of a mildly
curved boundary layer in which the stabilizing effects
of curvature significantly attenuate the turbulence,
but are not strong enough to annihilate the shear stress
in the outer part of the layer as found in some of
the strongly curved experiments. The measurements
were not aimed at the improvement of any particu-
lar calculation method, or even a class of calculation
methods, but their paper includes a discussion of the
implications for turbulence modelling in general.
A numerical study of turbulent flow over the
S-shaped hydrofoil at 0◦ angle of attack has been
reported by Kumar and Chatterjee [17]. There, the flow
takes place over concave and convex surfaces and is
accompanied by the favourable and adverse pressure
gradients and flow separation. Modelling such a flow
Proc. IMechE Vol. 223 Part C: J. Mechanical Engineering Science
poses a formidable challenge. In their work various
turbulence models, such as k−ε realizable, k−ω, and
shear stress transport, were used.
The problem of steady laminar mixed convection
boundary layer flow of an incompressible viscous
fluid along vertical moving thin needles with variable
heat flux for both assisting and opposing flow cases
was theoretically considered by Ahmad et al. [18].
They transformed the governing boundary layer equa-
tions first into non-dimensional forms. The curvature
effects were incorporated into their analysis, whereas
the pressure variation in the axial direction had been
neglected. These equations were then transformed
into similarity equations using the similarity variables,
which were solved numerically using an implicit finite-
difference scheme known as the Keller-box method.
The solutions were obtained for a blunt-nosed needle.
Numerical calculations were carried out for various
values of the dimensionless parameters of the prob-
lem, which included the mixed convection parameter
λ, the Prandtl number Pr, and the parameter rep-
resenting the needle size. It was shown from the
numerical results that the skin friction coefficient,
the wall temperature, and the velocity and temper-
ature profiles were significantly influenced by these
parameters.
Watson and Otto [19] considered the stability of high
Reynolds number flow past a heated curved wall. Their
results indicated that the influence of both buoyancy
and curvature, with the appropriate sense, can render
a flow unstable to longitudinal vortices. However, con-
versely, each mechanism can make a flow more stable,
as with a stable stratification or a convex curvature.
This is partially due to their influence on the basic flow
and also due to additional terms in the stability equa-
tions. They observed that the presence of buoyancy in
combination with an appropriate local wall gradient
can actually increase the wall shear, and these effects
can lead to super velocities and the promotion of a wall
jet. This led to the interesting discovery that the flow
can be unstable for both concave and convex curva-
tures. Furthermore, it is possible to observe sustained
vortex growth in stably stratified boundary layers over
convexly curved walls. The evolution of the modes was
considered in both the linear and non-linear regimes.
For the prediction of the boundary layer flow near
the convex surface on rotating systems, Kikuyama
et al. [20] investigated the effects of system rotation,
radii of the wall, and the axial Reynolds number on
the boundary layer near the convex side, making use
of the curved channel on the rotating table. From the
measurement results of the velocity distribution, they
knew that the Reynolds number based on momentum
thickness is an appropriate parameter to predict the
boundary layer transition.
The process of laminar-turbulent boundary tran-
sition on a concave wall of 1 m in the radius
of curvature was studied experimentally under a
JMES1496
 The effect of convex wall curvature on the structure of the turbulent boundary layer
free-stream velocity of 3 m/s by Yamada and Ito [21].
Flow visualization was achieved using smoke tech-
niques and flow measurement by an X -type probe.
Helen et al. [22] studied the effect of including
wall and streamline curvature terms in swept-wing
boundary-layer stability calculations. They cast lin-
ear disturbance equations on a fixed, body-intrinsic,
curvilinear coordinate system. They observed that
convex-wall curvature has a stabilizing effect, while
streamline curvature is destabilizing if the curvature
exceeds a critical value.
Brighi and Hoernel [23] investigated the simila-
rity solutions of a plane mixed convection boundary
layer flow near a semi-vertical plate, with a pre-
scribed power law function of the distance from the
leading edge for the temperature that was embed-
ded in a porous medium. They showed the existence
and uniqueness of convex and concave solutions for
positive values of the power law exponent.
The results of an experimental study of developing
turbulent boundary layers on the concave and convex
walls of a 90◦ bend of square cross-section using hot-
wire anemometry were presented by Mokhtarzadeh-
Dehghan and Yuan [24]. Results are presented for
the conventional mean turbulence quantities and
the period of bursting. They found that turbulence
enhancement on the concave wall and the opposite
effect on the convex wall are most pronounced in
the outer layer, and the effect on the normal inten-
sity is greater than that on the streamwise intensity.
But on the convex wall, they observed that suppres-
sion of turbulence shear stress to insignificant levels
occurs for normal distances from the wall greater
than y/δ ≈ 0.4. Their results of conditional sampling
showed the opposite effects of the concave and convex
walls on the bursting frequency, and that none of the
scaling laws results in the collapse of this parameter.
Receptivity of a shear layer separating at a con-
vex corner in the wall was examined experimen-
tally by Asai and Kaneko [25]. Acoustic forcing was
applied to excite instability waves. In their study par-
ticular attention was focused on the comparison of
receptivity coefficient between a sharp-edged corner
and a rounded corner whose radius of curvature is
20 times the boundary-layer displacement thickness.
Their results clearly showed that the receptivity coef-
ficient is quite sensitive to the sharpness of the corner
and that the amplitude of the excited instability wave
is twice larger for the sharp corner compared with
the rounded corner. Also they found that the same
dependency of the receptivity coefficient on the cor-
ner sharpness is verified by analysing the shear layer
response to wind-tunnel background noise without
acoustic forcing.
The large-scale structure of the turbulent boundary
layer along a convex wall was studied by Chiwanga and
Ramaprian [26] by using smoke and a laser light sheet
for flow visualization. They obtained flow visualization
JMES1496
2319
pictures with the light sheet oriented in a longitudi-
nal plane as well as along two-cross-stream planes at
+45◦ and at −45◦ to the flow direction. Their experi-
ments were conducted under conditions of nearly zero
pressure gradients along the wall. Their results were
also obtained in a flat-wall region following the curved
wall, as the flow began to recover from the effects of
streamline curvature. Both sets of results were com-
pared with those obtained from a fully developed
flat-wall boundary layer. Their study clearly showed
that convex curvature strongly attenuates most of the
organized large-scale structures in the flow. These
structures are not restored to their earlier state quickly
after the removal of streamline curvature. Their visua-
lization results supported those obtained from earlier
measurements of spectra, intermittency, and length
scales.
An experimental study of developing turbulent flow
through a rectangular-sectioned bend of decreasing
cross-sectional area was reported by Launder and
Loizou [27]. In their investigation over the first 90◦ of
arc, the duct aspect ratio changes from 1:1 to 3:1 due to
the decrease in width of the plane end walls (the width
of the curved wall remaining uniform). They selected
two duct Reynolds numbers for study, 8.2 × 104 and
6 × 104 , which gave rise to mean values of the acceler-
ation parameter K̄ of 1.5 × 10−6 and 2.1 × 10−6 . They
measured streamwise mean velocity profiles and tur-
bulence intensities at eight stations through the bend
with particular emphasis on the near wall velocity pro-
files on the plane of symmetry of the duct. Their results
showed a marked thickening of the viscous sublayer
and damping of the turbulence intensity due to accel-
eration, with the effect being particularly strong on the
convex wall where the streamline curvature also acts to
inhibit turbulence. They confirmed that at the higher
level of acceleration, the boundary layer on this sur-
face reverts essentially to laminar, with the turbulence
level being reduced practically to background levels. In
contrast, on the concave wall it appears that a greater
degree of laminarization occurs at the lower value
of acceleration. They suggested that this unexpected
result may be due to differences in the secondary flow
pattern between the two test cases.
The numerical study was conducted by Kim and
Patel [28–30] to study the fate of artificially introduced
vortex pairs in an otherwise two-dimensional (2D)
turbulent boundary layer, with emphasis on the influ-
ence of streamwise surface curvature. In their study
Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations for three-
dimensional turbulent flows, together with a two-layer
turbulence model to resolve the near-wall flow, were
solved by a numerical method for a configuration
in which some measurements were available from
previous experiments. Longitudinal vortex pairs, with
common flow between them down or up, were intro-
duced in a flat-plate boundary layer, and in a boundary
layer subsequently subjected to concave or convex
Proc. IMechE Vol. 223 Part C: J. Mechanical Engineering Science
2320 A B Khoshnevis, S Hariri, and M Farzaneh-Gord

wall curvatures to elucidate the effects of streamwise In the above equations, up is the potential velocity and
surface curvature and attendant pressure gradients in ue (x, y) is the external velocity of the flow as it varies
a curved rectangular duct. They found that circula- on the x, y direction on curved surfaces. kr (x) and h1
tion around the primary vortex, introduced in the flow, are curvature parameters, which are defined as
decreases on flat and convex surfaces but increases on
1
concave surface. Also their results showed that surface kr (x) = + (6)
curvature has a rather dramatic effect not only on the R(x)
development of the primary vortices, but also on the h1 = 1 + k r y
growth of secondary vortices.
R(x) is the radius of the curved surface.
The present work expands considerably upon those
The turbulence term in equation (1) can be defined
papers, providing details about numerical method for
as [30]
solving turbulent boundary layer equations. Based on  
the numerical method, the effects of curved walls ∂u kr u
−u v = νt
  − (7)
especially convex curvature on the turbulent bound- ∂y h1
ary layer are studied. The turbulent computations
have been carried out by an improved form of k−ε where νt is the eddy viscosity and will be calculated by
low Reynolds turbulence model. Also the turbulence the turbulence model, which will be described in the
intensities are calculated by employing a simplified next section.
form of the Launder eddy viscosity. To validate the
numerical method, a comparison has been carried out 2.2 Turbulent model
between numerical results and previously measured
values. The turbulence model employed in this article is an
improved form of low Reynolds k−ε turbulence model.
The model could be applied for whole regions in the
2 NUMERICAL METHOD boundary layer both the inner layer (linear sublayer,
buffer layer, log law region) and the outer layer. The
2.1 Boundary layer equations model is defined as [30, 33]
   
The 2D, steady-state, incompressible turbulence u ∂k ∂k 1 ∂ ∂k ∂u kr u 2
boundary layer flow equations with coordinate system +v = νt h1 + νt −
h1 ∂x ∂y h1 ∂y ∂y ∂y h1
(x, y) and velocity components u, v, where the x-axis  1/2 2
is taken along the streamwise direction and the y-axis ∂k
− ε − 2ν (8)
in the normal direction, can be written as [31, 32] ∂y
 
u ∂ε ∂ε 1 ∂ νt ∂ε
x-momentum equation +v = h1
h1 ∂x ∂y h1 ∂y σe ∂y
u ∂u ∂u kr 1 ∂p  
+v + uv = − ε2 ε ∂u kr u 2
h1 ∂x ∂y h1 h1 ρ ∂x − f2 cε2 + cε1 νt −
 2  k k ∂y h1
∂ u kr ∂u kr2 u ∂u v  u v   2 2
+ν + − − − 2k (1) ∂ u
∂ 2y h1 ∂y h12 ∂y
r
h1 + 2ννt (9)
∂y 2
In this article, it is assumed ∂p/∂x ≈ 0. cμ = 0.09, cε1 = 1.44, cε2 = 1.92, σk = 1.0, σε = 1.3
 
y-momentum equation −3.4 k2
fμ = exp , R t = (10)
(1 + Rt /50)2 νε
kr u2 1 ∂p
= (2) f2 = 1 − 0.3 exp(−Rt2 ) (11)
h1 ρ ∂y
where k is the kinetic energy and ε is the rate of
Continuity equation turbulence dissipation.
∂u ∂ Boundary conditions are
+ (vh1 ) = 0 (3)
∂x ∂y y=0 k=0 ε=0

where the boundary conditions can be defined as y=δ→ k = ke ε = εe

(12)
y = 0, u = 0, v = 0 (4) Once k and ε are known, the kinematic eddy viscosity
y → δ, u → ue (x, y) νt can be calculated as
up (x) k2
ue (x, y) = (5) νt = cμ fμ (13)
h1 ε

Proc. IMechE Vol. 223 Part C: J. Mechanical Engineering Science JMES1496

 The effect of convex wall curvature on the structure of the turbulent boundary layer 2321

2.3 Calculation method 2.4 Calculation of turbulent intensities and

turbulent shear stress
There are several numerical methods for discretizing
boundary layer equations. The crank Nicholson and To calculate turbulent shear stresses in boundary lay-
Keller’s box methods are the most convenient ones. ers, there are several equations such as Launder eddy
In this study, the discretized equations have been viscosity, Speziale eddy viscosity, and Boussinesq eddy
obtained according to crank Nicholson scheme. By viscosity. In this study, the Boussinesq eddy viscosity
discretizing the turbulent equations using the men- equitation has been implemented. In tensor form it
tioned scheme, the following algebraic equation in can be written as [31, 33]
matrix form could be obtained
2
−ρui uj = 2μt Sij − ρkδij (24)
ki+1,j = 
Ei+(1/2),j ki+1,j+1 + 
Fi+(1/2),j (14) 3
 
δij = 0 if i  = j
εi+1,j = Ei+(1/2),j εi+1,j+1 + Fi+(1/2),j (15)
Hence
   
In which Ei+(1/2),j , Ei+(1/2),j , Fi+(1/2),j , and Fi+(1/2),j are  
coefficient of matrix systems. Some of these matrix ∂u u
−u v  = νt − (25)
coefficients are defined as ∂y Rh1
 where Sij is the mean strain tensor.

Ai+(1/2),j
Ei+(1/2),j =−   
(16) As the Launder eddy viscosity method gives more
Bi+(1/2),j + Ci+(1/2),j Ei+(1/2),j−1
suitable results than the others, such as the Speziale
  

Di+(1/2),j + Ci+(1/2),j Fi+(1/2),j−1 eddy viscosity or Boussinesq eddy viscosity, this model
Fi+(1/2),j = −   
(17)
Bi+(1/2),j + Ci+(1/2),j Ei+(1/2),j−1 has been implemented to calculate turbulent intensi-
 ties in this study. The Launder eddy viscosity equation

Ai+(1/2),j
Ei+(1/2),j =− (18) in tensor form is defined as [31, 33, 35, 36]
  
Bi+(1/2),j + Ci+(1/2),j Ei+(1/2),j−1
   2

Di+(1/2),j + Ci+(1/2),j Fi+(1/2),j−1 −ρui uj = 2μt Sij − kδij
Fi+(1/2),j =−   
(19) 3
 
Bi+(1/2),j + Ci+(1/2),j Ei+(1/2),j−1 k 1
+ 4Cl1 μt Sik Skj − Smn Smn δij
ε 3
The other matrix coefficients can be reviewed in the
appendix. k 
− 4CL2 μt ωik Skj − ωjk Ski
The momentum equation can be written in a similar ε
 
matrix form as k 1
− 4Cl3 μt ωik ωkj − ωmn ωmn δij (26)
ε 3
ui+1,j = Ei+(1/2),j ui+1,j+1 + Fi+(1/2),j (20)
The above equation could be rewritten as
where Ei+(1/2),j and Fi+(1/2),j are also coefficients and
u2 2 σ2
defined as = + 4Cμ (CL1 − 6CL2 − CL3 ) (27)
k 3 12
Di+(1/2),j + Ci+(1/2),j Fi+(1/2),j−1 v 2 2 σ2
Fi+(1/2),j = − (21) = + 4Cμ (CL1 + 6CL2 − CL3 ) (28)
Bi+(1/2),j + Ci+(1/2),j Ei+(1/2),j−1 k 3 12
Ai+(1/2),j w 2 2 σ 2
Ei+(1/2),j =− (22) = − 4Cμ (CL1 − CL3 ) (29)
Bi+(1/2),j + Ci+(1/2),j Ei+(1/2),j−1 k 3 6

And finally, the continuity equation could be also dis- where

cretized to obtain an algebraic equation for calculating  
k ∂u kr u
y velocity component as σ = −
ε ∂y h1
   
2
η m
and
(ui,j − ui+1,j ) + (ui+1,j+1 − ui+1,j
mI h1
x mI h1
CL1 = −0.1, CL2 = −0.15, CL3 = −0.26 (30)
+ ui,j+1 − ui,j ) + (vi,j − vi,j+1 + vi+1,j )
 
δ It is interesting to note that the values for coeffi-
− (vi+1,j + vi,j ) = vi+1,j+1 (23)
R cients CL1 , CL2 , CL3 in equation (28) are acquired by
the present authors. This was done by varying these
The solution of the system of equations can be values and comparing the numerical results with
acquired using the Thomas algorithm [34]. experimental values to obtain the best agreement.

JMES1496 Proc. IMechE Vol. 223 Part C: J. Mechanical Engineering Science

2322 A B Khoshnevis, S Hariri, and M Farzaneh-Gord

2.5 Grid generation η1 = 0, ηJ = 1,

ηi,j = η2 K j−2 (32)
For laminar flow, it is often sufficient to use a uniform
grid in the y or η direction (η = y/δ), but for turbu-
lent flow, a uniform grid is not satisfactory because
the boundary layer thickness and dimensionless wall
η
shear parameter τw are much greater in turbulent
flow than laminar flow. Short steps in y or η must
be taken to maintain computational accuracy when
τw is large. The steps near the wall in the turbulent
boundary layer must be shorter than the correspond-
ing steps in a laminar boundary layer under similar
conditions. A convenient and useful y or η grid, which
is recommended by Cebeci and Smith [33, 37], is a geo-
metric progression having the property that the ratios
of lengths of any two adjacent intervals are constant
(Figs 1 and 2); the distance to the jth line is given as
K j−1 − 1
ηj = η2 j = 2, 3, 4, . . . , J
K −1
(k − 1)
η2 = (33)
(k J −1 − 1)
There are two parameters η2 , the length of the first
step, and k, the ratio of two successive steps. The total
number of points, J , can be calculated as
ln[1 + (k − 1)(ηe /η2 )]
J= + 1, k = 1.1 (34)
ln k
3 TEST CASES
Table 1 summarized the test cases. In both cases the
curvature is mild. In case 1 the experimental data,
which were compared with numerical values, were
obtained in the blower tunnel rig by Muck et al. [4]. The
(31)
schematic diagram of this case is shown in Fig. 3. The
convex surface has a radius of curvature of 2410 mm.
A flat plate 1450 mm in length and 127 mm high is ini-
tially assumed. In the experimental set-up it is denoted
as the working section. The convex surface begins
at the end of this part and is 1050 mm in length.
The curvature parameter is δ/R = 0.01. The turbulence
intensity of free stream is about 0.1 per cent. The
free stream velocity is about 33 m/s in the flat section.

Table 1 Test cases

Investigators for
Case experimental data Flow type (δ/R) ≈

1 Muck et al. [4] Boundary layer on 0.01

the convex wall
2 Tulapurkara et al. [38] Boundary layer on 0.023
the convex wall

Fig. 1 Geometry of the grid, which is used for calcula-

tion methods

Fig. 3 Geometry of problem in case 1 (uref = 33 m/s,

Fig. 2 The X , Y (η) coordinate system δ/R = 0.01)

Proc. IMechE Vol. 223 Part C: J. Mechanical Engineering Science JMES1496

 The effect of convex wall curvature on the structure of the turbulent boundary layer 2323

Also the centreline’s velocity is assumed to be equal to

33 m/s.
In case 2, the experimental measurements are
obtained by Tulapurkara et al. [38]. In this case the flat
plate is 900 mm in length and 140 mm high. The con-
vex surface, which begins at the end of the flat section,
has a radius of 630 mm. The curvature parameter in
this case is δ/R = 0.023. Turbulent intensity is about
0.01 of free flow. Finally the velocity on the test section
in experimental work is uref = 12 m/s. The schematic
Fig. 4 Geometry of problem in case 2 (uref = 13 m/s, diagram of this case is shown in Fig. 4.
δ/R = 0.023)

Fig. 5 Variation of mean velocity by the effect of convex curvature (uref = 12 m/s, δ/R = 0.023)

Fig. 6 Variation of mean velocity by the effect of convex curvature (uref = 33 m/s, δ/R = 0.01)

JMES1496 Proc. IMechE Vol. 223 Part C: J. Mechanical Engineering Science

2324 A B Khoshnevis, S Hariri, and M Farzaneh-Gord

4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS on convex surfaces is decreased in the direction nor-

Variations of mean velocity on convex surfaces are
shown in Figs 5 and 6. The numerical results have been
compared with experimental work of references [4]
or [38]. In case 1 the rate of boundary layer growth
on the convex wall is almost half of what would be
expected for the corresponding straight section. This
means that convex curvature arrests the growth of
boundary layer thickness. Also the potential velocity
mal to the surface (radius direction), whereas on the
flat plate the potential velocity is a constant value if
there is no pressure gradient. Note from the figures
that there is good agreement between numerical and
measured values. Considering the gradient of mean
velocity normal to the direction of surface, (∂u/∂y), if
this parameter on the convex surface is compared with
the flat plate condition, one can conclude that the gra-
dient of mean velocity is higher on convex surfaces

Fig. 7 Variation of turbulence shear stress by the effect of convex curvature (uref = 12 m/s,
δ/R = 0.023)

Fig. 8 Variation of turbulence shear stress by the effect of convex curvature (uref = 33 m/s,
δ/R = 0.01)

Proc. IMechE Vol. 223 Part C: J. Mechanical Engineering Science JMES1496

 The effect of convex wall curvature on the structure of the turbulent boundary layer 2325

compared with flat plate cases. This means the tan-
gent of angles, which are created between (Y , U ), is
greater on the convex wall than the flat plate under
the same conditions.
Reynolds shear stress is shown in Figs 7 and 8.
The numerical value of turbulent shear stress on
the convex surface is compared with corresponding
numerical values on the flat plate. In all cases the
shear stress decreases rapidly after the start of the
convex curvature, and thereafter the predicted shear
stress increases downstream, whereas the experimen-
tal data show a slow decrease. It can be seen that the
convex curvature prevents the turbulence shear stress
and turbulent intensity growing. Also the conventional
average of Reynolds stress profiles indicates that the
response of turbulence to suddenly applied stabiliz-
ing streamline curvature is rather rapid, the decrease
in turbulence intensity implying a preceding increase
in the turbulence energy dissipation rate, followed by
a decrease in dissipation as the flow settles down at the

Fig. 9 Variation of turbulence intensity by the effect of convex curvature (uref = 12 m/s,
δ/R = 0.023)

Fig. 10 Variation of turbulence intensity by the effect of convex curvature (uref = 33 m/s,
δ/R = 0.01)

JMES1496 Proc. IMechE Vol. 223 Part C: J. Mechanical Engineering Science

2326 A B Khoshnevis, S Hariri, and M Farzaneh-Gord

new, lower, level of intensity. The different behaviour
of turbulent intensity and of dissipation is not para-
doxical because the dissipation rate equals the rate of
energy transfer from larger eddies. Then it can be said
that a reduction in intensity can still be associated with
an increase in ε.
Variations of turbulent intensities are shown in Figs 9
to 14. Due to the effect of convex curvature the nor-
mal turbulent terms are lower when they are compared
with the same condition on the flat plate. In all figures,
which show the variation of turbulence intensities
and turbulent shear stresses, three regions can be
observed. In the first region the turbulent parameters
are increased in the normal direction (y or η). In the
second, a constant region appears, whereas the thick-
ness of this region for the flat plate is larger than convex
wall. In the third region, turbulent intensity and shear
stress are decreased and at the end of this region all
turbulence intensities take a value equal to the free
stream turbulence intensity. The numerical values of

Fig. 11 Variation of turbulence intensity by the effect of convex curvature (uref = 12 m/s,
δ/R = 0.023)

Fig. 12 Variation of turbulence intensity by the effect of convex curvature (uref = 33 m/s,
δ/R = 0.01)

Proc. IMechE Vol. 223 Part C: J. Mechanical Engineering Science JMES1496

 The effect of convex wall curvature on the structure of the turbulent boundary layer 2327

v 2 and w 2 differ noticeably from those of Gibson et al.
[7]. Their results agree closely with the classical mea-
surements of Kelebanoff [39], whereas current results
show smaller difference between v 2 and w 2 , which
are found in most of the experimental and numerical
researches (Figs 11 to 14).
The variation of momentum thickness and displace-
ment thicknesses is shown in Figs 15 and 16. Note
from these figures, by comparing flows on the flat plate
and on convex surfaces, that both δ ∗ and θ increase
with distance but the rate of growth on the flat plate
is slightly faster than the convex wall. As expected,
the turbulence in shear layers is highly sensitive to
streamline curvature and the turbulent shear stress
and intensity are reduced by curvature when the angu-
lar momentum of the flow increases in the direction of
the radius of curvature, and are increased when the
angular momentum decreases with radius.
As it can be seen from Figs 7 to 14, generally good
agreement has been obtained between numerical

Fig. 13 Variation of turbulence intensity by the effect of convex curvature (uref = 12 m/s,
δ/R = 0.023)

Fig. 14 Variation of turbulence intensity by the effect of convex curvature (uref = 33 m/s,
δ/R = 0.01)

JMES1496 Proc. IMechE Vol. 223 Part C: J. Mechanical Engineering Science

2328 A B Khoshnevis, S Hariri, and M Farzaneh-Gord

Fig. 15 Variation of momentum thickness by the effect of convex curvature (uref = 12 m/s,
δ/R = 0.023)

Fig. 16 Variation of displacement thickness by the effect of convex curvature (uref = 12 m/s,
δ/R = 0.023)

results and experimental data. This suggests that the
turbulence model, which is employed in this study, can
predict the turbulent flow over curved surface accu-
rately. It is also worth mentioning that although low
Reynolds k−ε has been employed in this study, the
model has been modified by authors.
5 CONCLUSIONS
In this article, a numerical method has been developed
to study turbulent boundary layer on curved surfaces.
The boundary layer equations in a curved surface have
been discretized using the finite-difference method.
The improved version of low Reynolds number k−ε
turbulent model proposed in this study has been
employed to model turbulence. The numerical results
have been compared with available measured values.
The results show that convex curvature basically
attenuates the existing turbulence structure, perhaps
producing significant preferential changes in struc-
ture parameters like the stress intensity ratio. The
effects of stabilizing and destabilizing curvature on
the turbulent shear layer are essentially different
phenomena. The most obvious evidence is the very
rapid response of a boundary layer to the application
or removal of stabilizing convex curvature as com-
pared with the slow reaction to concave (destabilizing)

Proc. IMechE Vol. 223 Part C: J. Mechanical Engineering Science JMES1496

 The effect of convex wall curvature on the structure of the turbulent boundary layer
curvature and also changes in turbulent structure
parameters on convex surfaces; though interesting in
detail and important enough to need special atten-
tion in turbulence models are generally not very
large.
Regarding the turbulence model used in this arti-
cle, it can be concluded that because the wall-normal
Reynolds stress component is important for precise
predictions and the non-linear k−ε model often used
in engineering applications cannot satisfy the distri-
bution and wall-limiting behaviour of the wall-normal
Reynolds stress component. Thus, an improved ver-
sion of the low-Reynolds-number turbulence model
was proposed by the curvature parameter to be used
on curved surfaces so as to reproduce exactly the
wall-limiting behaviour of turbulence quantities.
The numerical results, which have been compared
with measured value, show good agreement. This
validates the numerical method and especially the
proposed turbulence model.
© Authors 2009
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bulence intensities and turbulence shear stresses in h1
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+m m (νt + α)
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η)2 i+(1/2),j
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Heidelberg, New York; Horizons Publications, Long h1
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1 ∂p kr k2u
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 +m m [(νt /σk ) + α]
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 +u m [(νt /σk ) + α]
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h1
x (
η)2 i+(1/2),j
APPENDIX 1
   
Di+(1/2),j = Ai+(1/2),j ki,j+1 + B̄i+(1/2),j ki,j + Ci+(1/2),j ki,j−1
Notation
 
+ Li+(1/2),j (Ni+(1/2),j )2 + (Ni+(1/2),j )2
fμ wall damping function
 
J the total number of points in grid − Ni+(1/2),j − εi+(1/2),j − Gi+(1/2),j (Mi+(1/2),j )
generation  
+ Gi+(1/2),j Ni+(1/2),j − Gi+(1/2),j
k kinetic energy of turbulent fluctuation  

kr defined by equation (6)  −m m2 [(νt /σe ) + α]
R radius of curvature Ai+(1/2),j = + I
4
η 2(
η)2 i+(1/2),j
Rt local turbulence Reynolds number 
Sij mean strain tensor  −u m [(νt /σe ) + α]
2
Bi+(1/2),j = − I
u velocity component in the x-direction h1
x (
η)2
ue velocity at the boundary layer edge  ε

up potential velocity on the wall − f2 cε2

2k i+(1/2),j
uτ friction velocity  

u2 turbulent intensity  −m m2 [(νt /σe ) + α]
Ci+(1/2),j = + I
−u v  turbulence shear stress 4
η 2(
η)2 i+(1/2),j
v velocity component in the y-direction 
 +u m [(νt /σe ) + α]
2
v 2 turbulent intensity B̄i+(1/2),j = − I
h1
x (
η)2
w 2 turbulent intensity  ε

− f2 cε2
δ boundary layer thickness 2k i+(1/2),j
δ∗ displacement thickness 
Di+(1/2),j 
= Ai+(1/2),j 
εi,j+1 + B̄i+(1/2),j 
εi,j + Ci+(1/2),j εi,j−1
ε turbulent dissipation rate

η dimensionless parameter (η = y/δ) + Li+(1/2),j (Ni+(1/2),j )2 + G1i+(1/2),j (Mi+(1/2),j )2
θ momentum thickness
νt kinematic eddy viscosity − G2i+(1/2),j (Ni+(1/2),j ) + G3i+(1/2),j

Proc. IMechE Vol. 223 Part C: J. Mechanical Engineering Science JMES1496

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