Martinuzzi, RobertJochaud du Plessix, Phillip Alexandre2015-12-222015-12-222015-12-222015Jochaud du Plessix, P. A. (2015). Low Order Representations in the Turbulent Wake of a Normal Flat Plate (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/26798http://hdl.handle.net/11023/2693The turbulent wake of a normal flat plate, characterized by quasi-periodic vortex-shedding dynamics, is investigated in the context of low-order modeling, non-linear dynamics and kinetic energy transfer. The flow is characterized, coherent-structures are educed through the implementation of three models, and the transfer of kinetic energy between the most energetic structures and to the unresolved scales of motion is investigated. A low-order kinematic model (LOM) is constructed via the truncation of a Galerkin expansion using the energetically-optimal proper orthogonal decomposition (POD). The harmonic and shift modes of the LOM are coupled via the mean-field paraboloid in phase space, enabling the construction of a generalized phase-average (GPA). The GPA is shown to capture key flow behaviour and physics that traditional phase-averaging (TPA) cannot, including variation in the base flow and modulation of the vortex-shedding amplitude. A clearer understanding of energy transfer is made possible through the simplified representations of the models.engUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.Engineering--AerospaceEngineering--MechanicalTurbulenceBluff-Body AerodynamicsWakesLow-order modellingProper orthogonal decompositionMean field theorymaster thesis10.11575/PRISM/26798