Turbulent Boundary Layer — Log-Law of the Wall

von Kármán log profile, viscous sublayer, buffer layer, and outer region

Parameters

δ_ν (viscous length) =
Re_τ (friction Re) =
u_τ⁺ at y⁺=1:
Viscous sublayer (y⁺ < 5):
u⁺ = y⁺
Log layer (y⁺ > 30):
u⁺ = (1/κ)ln(y⁺) + B
Rough wall: B → B−ΔB(ks⁺)

y⁺ = y·u_τ/ν   u⁺ = u/u_τ

κ ≈ 0.41 (von Kármán 1930) is universal across flows. The log law spans 3 decades in high-Re flows.