Effect of velocity ratio on plane mixing layer development - Influence of the splitter plate wake

The effect of the velocity ratio on the approach of a plane mixing layer to self-similarity was investigated experimentally. In the experiment, plane mixing layers with velocity ratios 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, and 0.9 were generated in a mixing-layer wind tunnel consisting of two individually driven legs, in which the two streams were allowed to merge at the sharp edge of a tappered splitter plate. The leg driven by the bigger blower was operated at a free-stream velocity in the test section of 21 m/s, while the flow speed in the other leg was varied to change the velocity ratio. For each velocity ratio, the mean flow- and turbulence measurements were carried out at eight streamwise locations. Results showed that, for velocity ratios between 0.5 and 0.7, self-similarity of the mixing layer was achieved, with the asymptotic states comparable; mixing layers with higher velocity ratios failed to achieve a self-similar state within the measurement domain.