Abstract

In this paper, we leverage the direct numerical simulation (DNS) data for closed-channel flow for a range of friction Reynolds number (Reτ∼180-5,000) to develop a new one-point friction velocity method (OPFVM) to calculate friction velocity U∗ in terms of free-surface velocity Um, flow depth h, and kinematic viscosity ν. In contrast to prevalent methods that require several cumbersome near boundary measurements to obtain friction velocity, the OPFVM relies on a single easy-to-measure free-surface velocity measurement. The formulation is used to obtain friction velocity for a closed-channel flow (CCF) DNS regime with Reτ=10,049 and on four open-channel flow (OCF) DNS regimes with Reτ∼180-2,000. The same formulation was then experimentally verified in our laboratory. To avoid being prescriptive, a sensitivity analysis was performed to determine the permissible variation in Um to restrict the error in estimated U∗ to 2%. The relationship between the depth-averaged velocity Ub and the maximum free-stream velocity Um is also explored using the DNS data sets and an approximate relationship between Ub and Um is proposed. With advances in remote-sensing technology that enables free-stream velocity measurements, this method extends the potential to measure even the friction velocity remotely.

Department(s)

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

1943-7900; 0733-9429

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2025 American Society of Civil Engineers, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jul 2024

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