The response of wall turbulence to streamwise pressure gradients: a computational study

The effect of pressure gradients on boundary layer flows, whether laminar or turbulent, is a topic of fundamental importance in fluid engineering. Streamwise pressure gradient effects on turbulent boundary layers represent an area that has not been fully explored, and can open a new realm of insights contributing to the understanding of non-equilibrium turbulent flows. In this paper, we will report results from direct numerical simulations of the response of wall turbulence to both adverse and favorable pressure gradients. Dynamic mode decomposition and conventional statistical tools are the main tools that are utilized to analyze the results. By targeting a range of pressure gradient intensities, we quantify the effect that pressure gradients can have on various turbulent statistics and turbulent flow structures.