Stress gradient balance layers and scale hierarchies in wall-bounded turbulent flows

Steady Couette and pressure-driven turbulent channel flows have large regions in which the gradients of the viscous and Reynolds stresses are approximately in balance (stress gradient balance regions). In the case of Couette flow, this region occupies the entire channel. Moreover, the relevant features of pressure-driven channel flow throughout the channel can be obtained from those of Couette flow by a simple transformation. It is shown that stress gradient balance regions are characterized by an intrinsic hierarchy of "scaling layers" (analogous to the inner and outer domains), filling out the stress gradient balance region except for locations near the wall. The spatial extent of each scaling layer is found asymptotically to be proportional to its distance from the wall.