A detailed investigation of fully developed transient flow in a pipe has been undertaken using water as the working fluid. Linearly increasing or decreasing excursions of flow rate were imposed between steady initial and final values. A three-beam, two-component laser Doppler anemometer was used to make simultaneous measurements of either axial and radial, or axial and circumferential, components of local velocity. Values of ensemble-averaged mean velocity, root-mean-square velocity fluctuation and turbulent shear stress were found from the measurements.

Being the first really detailed study of ramp-type transient turbulent flow, the present investigation has yielded new information and valuable insight into certain fundamental aspects of turbulence dynamics. Some striking features are evident in the response of the turbulence field to the imposed excursions of flow rate. Three different delays have been identified: a delay in the response of turbulence production; a delay in turbulence energy redistribution among its three components; and a delay associated with the propagation of turbulence radially. The last of these is the most pronounced under the conditions of the present study. A dimensionless delay parameter τ+[= √2τUτ0/D] is proposed to describe it. The first response of turbulence is found to occur in the region near the wall where turbulence production peaks. The axial component of turbulence responds earlier than the other two components and builds up faster. The response propagates towards the centre of the pipe through the action of turbulent diffusion at a speed which depends on the Reynolds number at the start of the excursion. In the core region, the three components of turbulence energy respond in a similar manner. Turbulence intensity is reduced in the case of accelerating flow and increased in decelerating flow. This is mainly as a result of the delayed response of turbulence. A dimensionless ramp rate parameter γ[= (dUb/dt) (1/Ub0)(D/Uτ0] is proposed, which determines the extent to which the turbulence energy differs from that of pseudo-steady flow as a result of the delay in the propagation of turbulence.