The paper gives account of some physical aspects of the transition
process. The tool of the turbulence research er is the hot-wire probe.
For special flow phenomena, e. g. the flow of vortices, typical hot-wire
signals are shown and explained. In a free jet the laminar-turbulent
transition occurs in the cylindrical boundary layer which breaks away
from the nozzle wall as a laminar boun- dary layer. In the transition
region the undulating shear layer forms meanders which concentrate to
annular vortices embracing the jet. Charac- teristic data of such
vortices are given. Further downstream the vortices break down, and
during this process the hot-wire signals show outbreaks of high frequent
disturbances. "Spot" phenomena occuring intermittently in space and time
govern the last stages of transition. In the special case of free-jet
transition, between the point of lability and the fully developed
turbulence, laminar vortices are defined as an intermediate stage. The
strength of the vorticity of the annular vortices was measured and the
experimental data lead to the hypothesis that a "critical vortex
strength" defines the onset of turbulence. Diskussion Professor Dr.
-Ing. Friedrich Seewald Ich habe das Gefühl, daß die gesamte
Turbulenzforschung seit längerer Zeit nicht mehr recht weitergekommen
ist. Große Fortschritte sind seinerzeit erreicht worden, als Prandtl und
seine Schüler die ersten Schritte zum Ver- ständnis der Turbulenz taten.