Osborne Reynolds

Osborne Reynolds was a British engineer and physicist, one of the founders of turbulence theory. He introduced a dimensionless parameter, now known as the Reynolds number, which determines the transition from laminar to turbulent flow. Reynolds also proposed the concept of Reynolds stresses — additional stresses arising from averaging turbulent velocity fluctuations. His experiments with a dyed stream of water in a pipe vividly demonstrated the conditions for the transition to turbulence. These ideas underlie the modern understanding of turbulence and are used in analyzing possible singularities in the Navier–Stokes equations, including blow-up solutions.

Biography

Osborne Reynolds was born in 1842 in Belfast. He studied at the University of Cambridge, then worked as an engineer. In 1868 he became the first professor of engineering at the University of Manchester (Owens College). He conducted numerous experiments on fluid dynamics, friction, and heat transfer. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of London. He died in 1912.

Key discoveries

Introduction of the Reynolds number as a criterion for the transition to turbulence.
Formulation of the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations with Reynolds stresses.
Experimental study of turbulent flows and their structure.

Biography

Key discoveries

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