An experimental study of helicity related properties of a turbulent flow past a grid

Abstract

Results of direct measurements of helicity density and other velocity derivative related flow properties are reported for a turbulent flow past a grid at Re_λ=75. The velocity and vorticity vectors exhibit a tendency to be aligned. The flow is found to lack reflectional symmetry, which is manifested by a nonzero correlation between the velocity and vorticity vector fluctuations and considerable asymmetry in the probability density function of the cosine of the angle between the velocity and vorticity vector fluctuations. This asymmetry, as well as the tendency for alignment, increases for larger values of ‖v‖ ‖ω‖.