Visualization and characterization of small-scale spanwise vortices in turbulent channel flow

High-resolution particle-image velocimetry (PIV) measurements are made in the streamwise-wall-normal plane of turbulent channel flow at Reτ=566, 1184 and 1759, facilitating documentation of the population trends and core diameters of small-scale spanwise vortices. Swirling strength, an unambiguous vortex-identification criterion and hence a local marker of rotation, is used to extract small-scale spanwise vortex cores from the instantaneous velocity fields. Once the small-scale vortices are properly extracted from the PIV realizations, their characteristics are studied in detail. The present results indicate that the very-near-wall region (y < 0.1h) is densely populated by spanwise vortices with clockwise (negative) rotation. This behavior supports the notion that hairpin-like vortices are generated very close to the wall and grow into the outer layer as they advect downstream. In contrast, counterclockwise (positive) spanwise vortices are scarce in the very-near-wall region, but their presence steadily increases within the logarithmic layer presumably due to a localized generation mechanism. The average core diameter of negative spanwise vortices is found to be larger than the average diameter of positive vortices, with few positive vortices having core diameters exceeding 80y.