Large eddy simulation of a forward-backward facing step for acoustic source identification

The feasibility of using a commercial CFD code for large eddy simulation (LES) is investigated. A first test on homogeneous turbulence decay allows a fine-tuning of the eddy viscosity with respect to the numerical features of the code. Then, a flow over forward-backward facing step at Reynolds number Re-h = 1.7 x 10(5) is computed. The results found show good agreement with the new LDA data of Leclercq et al. [Forward backward facing step pair: aerodynamic flow, wall pressure and acoustic characterization. AIAA-2001-2249]. The acoustic source term, recorded from the LES and to be fed into a following acoustic propagation simulation, is found to be largest in the separation from the forward step. The source terms structures are similar to the vortical structures generated at the front edge of the obstacle and advected downstream. Structures generated from the backward step rapidly break down into smaller scale structures due to the background turbulence. (C) 2003 Published by Elsevier Science Inc.