Abstract
Turbulent pulsating air flows in the entrance region of a square duct are investigated with a hot-wire anemometer system. The velocity waveforms, the mean and turbulence components of the axial velocity, and the entrance length are obtained as major characteristics of the developing turbulent pulsating flows. An inviscid flow theory coupled with the quasi-steady wall shear stress assumption is presented to describe the developing axial mean velocity profiles. A good agreement is seen between the measured and theoretically predicted values. The propagation of turbulence generated near the entrance of the square duct is satisfactorily approximated by an empirical correlation of the propagation of turbulence proposed previously. The local turbulence intensity is found to be slightly weaker in the accelerating phase than in the decelerating phase. The entrance length is about 60 times as large as the hydraulic diameter.
