Nonlinear spatial wave development in an axisymmetrical turbulent jet

A detailed analysis is presented of the nonlinear development of a spatial-growth wave disturbance in the turbulent shear layer of a circular jet. The method of analysis is based on the global consideration of the energy transfer between the mean flow, the turbulence, and the wave fluctuation in the shear layer. For the correlation functions required for the integral formulation, those of the mean and the turbulent flows of the jet are calculated numerically by a finite difference method, and those of the wave fluctuations were obtained from a linear stability theory of divergent flow. The predicted development of the wave is in agreement with the experimental data.