This thesis presents some results from an experimental study of three-dimensional turbulent tip gap flows in the linear cascade wind tunnel, for two different tip gap clearances (t/c=1.65% and 3.3%). The experiments focus on near-wall flow field measurements for the stationary wall and moving wall, and static pressure measurement on the low end-wall for the stationary wall case. The representative flows were pressure driven, three-dimensional turbulent boundary layers in the linear cascade tunnel for the stationary wall case, and the combination of the pressure driven and shear driven flow for the moving wall case.

Several experimental techniques are used in the studies: a three-orthogonal-velocity-component fiber-optic laser Doppler anemometer (3D-LDA) system, surface oil flow visualization, and a scanivalve system for static pressure measurement through pressure ports on the end-wall. From the details of the oil flow visualization pattern on the end-wall, some features of the passage flow, cross flow, and the tip leakage vortex in this cascade flow were captured. Oil flow visualization on the blade surface reveals the reattachment of the tip leakage vortex on the blade surface. The static pressure results on the lower end-wall and mid-span of the blade show huge pressure drop on the lower end-wall from the pressure side to the suction side of the blade and from mid-span to the lower end wall. The end-wall skin friction velocity is calculated from near-wall LDA data and pressure gradient data using the near-wall momentum equation.

The statistics of Reynolds stresses and triple products in two-dimensional turbulent boundary layer and three-dimensional turbulent boundary layer was examined using a velocity fluctuation octant analysis in three different coordinates (the wall collateral coordinates, the mid tip gap coordinates, and the local mean flow angle coordinates). The velocity fluctuation octant analysis for the two-dimensional turbulent boundary layer reveals that ejections of the low speed streaks outward from the wall and the sweeps of high speed streaks inward toward the wall are the dominant coherent motions. The octant analysis for the three-dimensional turbulent boundary layer in the tip gap shows that the dominant octant events are partially different from those in the two-dimensional turbulent boundary layer, but ejection and sweep motions are still the dominant coherent motions. For the three-dimensional turbulent boundary layer in the moving wall flow, the near-wall shear flow reinforces the sweep motion to the moving wall and weakens the out-ward ejection motion in the shear flow dominant region. Between the passage flow and the shear flow, is the interaction region of the high speed streaks and the low speed streaks. This is the first time that the coherent structure of the three-dimensional turbulent boundary in the linear cascade tip gap has been studied.