Turbulent boundary-layer flow over fixed aerodynamically rough two-dimensional sinusoidal waves

Results from a wind tunnel study of aerodynamically rough turbulent boundary-layer flow over a sinusoidal surface are presented. The waves had a maximum slope (ak) of 0.5 and two surface roughnesses were used. For the relatively rough surface the flow separated in the wave troughs while for the relatively smooth surface it generally remained attached. Over the relatively smooth-surfaced waves an organized secondary flow developed, consisting of vortex pairs of a scale comparable to the boundary-layer depth and aligned with the mean flow. Large-eddy simulation studies model the flows well and provide supporting evidence for the existence of this secondary flow.