Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 April 2006
Here we consider the mean velocity profile in the core region of a unidirectional turbulent flow, that is, a flow in which the turbulent motion is superposed upon parallel time-averaged streamlines. A kinematical variational principle, originally developed for three-dimensional free-turbulent motions, is shown to be applicable to significant parts of the velocity profiles for flows of both Couette and Poiseuille types. In addition to pure plane Couette and pure plane Poiseuille flows, the motions considered include a variety of admixtures produced by blowing through a wide flat channel one of whose walls comprises a belt which moves either in the direction of the blowing or counter to it.