The Theory of Homogeneous Turbulence

Book excerpt: This is a reissue of Professor Batchelor's text on the theory of turbulent motion, which was first published by Cambridge Unviersity Press in 1953. It continues to be widely referred to in the professional literature of fluid mechanics, but has not been available for several years. This classic account includes an introduction to the study of homogeneous turbulence, including its mathematic representation and kinematics. Linear problems, such as the randomly-perturbed harmonic oscillator and turbulent flow through a wire gauze, are then treated. The author also presents the general dynamics of decay, universal equilibrium theory, and the decay of energy-containing eddies. There is a renewed interest in turbulent motion, which finds applications in atmospheric physics, fluid mechanics, astrophysics, and planetary science.