A comparative study of subgrid-scale stress models in the context of a transitional boundary layer

In this paper, four important subgrid-scale (SGS) stress models are investigated in order to assess their predictive performance on modeling of the SGS physics. The analysis is conducted using the a priori method based on a comprehensive direct numerical simulation (DNS) data set of a transitional boundary layer flow over a flat plate. The study includes examination of the correlations between the modeled SGS stress tensor and that directly computed from the DNS data, investigation of the effects of filter sizes on modeled SGS stresses, and evaluation of forward and backward scatter of the kinetic energy of the flow in the transitional and turbulent regions. © 2014 Springer-Verlag Wien.