Introductory Remarks

Abstract

Of the papers forming this chapter, three are concerned with the provision of turbulence models that allow the mean flow to be computed by solving the Reynolds equations, two provide direct or large-eddy simulations of the flows under study while the last provides results from both approaches. This year marks the centenary of Osborne Reynolds’ famous paper on decomposing turbulent motion into mean and fluctuating parts, a process leading to the appearance of effective turbulent (or, as we now call them, Reynolds) stresses in the averaged momentum equations. While, for fundamental work and certain particular fields of application, more elaborate approaches can now be employed, Reynolds-averaged schemes are destined to remain the principal route for computing practically interesting turbulen flows some way into the next century.