The stability of the viscometric motion of a viscoelastic fluid held between rotating parallel disks with large radii to small-amplitude perturbations is studied for the Oldroyd-B constitutive model. The disturbances are assumed to be radially localized and are expressed in Fourier form so that a separable eigenvalue problem results; these disturbances describe either axisymmetric or spiral vortices, depending on whether the most dangerous disturbance has zero or non-zero azimuthal wavenumber, respectively. The critical value of the dimensionless radius R* for the onset of the instability is computed as a function of the Deborah number De, a dimensionless time constant of the fluid, the azimuthal and radial wavenumbers, and the ratio of the viscosities of the solvent to the polymer solution. Calculations meant to match the experiments of McKinley et al. (1991) for a Boger fluid show that the most dangerous instabilities are spiral vortices with positive and negative angle that start at the same critical radius and travel outward and inward toward the centre of the disk; the axisymmetric mode also becomes unstable at only slightly greater values of R*, or De for fixed R*. The predicted dependence of the value of De for a fixed R* on the gap between the disks agrees quantitatively with the measurements of McKinley et al., when the longest relaxation time for the fluid at the shear rate corresponding to the maximum value of R* is used to define the time constant in the Oldroyd-B model.

A simple laboratory model for the wind-driven ocean circulation is re-studied experimentally and theoretically. Introduced by Pedlosky & Greenspan (1967), the model consists of a rotating cylinder with sloping bottom, the fluid inside being driven by the steady relative rotation of the cylinder's lid. A linear theory is developed to illustrate the modification in the interior and Stewartson boundary layers caused by variation of the bottom slope from 0 to O(1); Stommel's (1948) model is obtained when the bottom slope tan α [Lt ] E¼, and the Munk & Carrier (1950) model is obtained for E¼ [Lt ] tan α [Lt ] 1 (E is the Ekman number). Measurements of the interior cross-contour ‘Sverdrup’ velocity agree well with theory when the Ekman-layer Reynolds number RE is ≈ 1 or less. The western boundarylayer azimuthal velocity agrees reasonably well with theory, although the observed variation with depth and bottom slope were not predicted. The western boundary layer shows downstream intensification when RE is increased from ≈ 1 until topographic Rossby waves appear in the transition region between western boundary layer and interior. The motion becomes unstable when a critical value of RE is reached, independent of the bottom slope, and a low-frequency two-dimensional flow oscillation is observed. A brief comparison is made with previous wind-driven ocean circulation studies.

The cornerstone of multiphase flow applications in engineering practice is a scientific construct that translates the basic laws of fluid mechanics into a set of governing equations for effective interpenetrating continua, the effective-field (or two-fluid) model. Over more than half a century of development this model has taken many forms but all of them fail in a way that was known from the very beginning: mathematical ill-posedness. The aim of this paper is to refocus awareness of this problem from a unified fundamental perspective that clarifies the manner in which such failures took place and to suggest the means for a final closure.

We examine the behaviour of a compound capillary jet from the spatio-temporal linear stability analysis of the Navier–Stokes equations. We map the jetting–dripping transition in the parameter space by calculating the Weber numbers for which the convective/absolute instability transition occurs. If the remaining dimensionless parameters are set, there are two critical Weber numbers that verify Brigg's pinch criterion. The region of absolute (convective) instability corresponds to Weber numbers smaller (larger) than the highest value of those two Weber numbers. The stability map is affected significantly by the presence of the outer interface, especially for compound jets with highly viscous cores, in which the outer interface may play an important role even though it is located very far from the core. Full numerical simulations of the Navier–Stokes equations confirm the predictions of the stability analysis.

A three-dimensional boundary-integral algorithm is developed to study the squeezing of a deformable drop through a tight constriction formed by several solid particles rigidly held in space. The drop is freely suspended and driven by a flow that is uniform away from the solid obstacles. Particular emphasis is on the trapping mechanism and flow conditions close to critical, when the drop squeezes with high resistance. The problem is a close prototype of drop–solid interactions for emulsion flow through a granular material; such interactions are much more lubrication-sensitive than drop–drop interactions and require advanced numerical tools to succeed. The algorithm is based on the Hebeker representation for the solid–particle contribution, leading to a well-behaved system of second-kind integral equations, combined with novel regularization techniques for singular and near-singular boundary integrals; high-order near-singularity subtraction for the solid-to-drop double-layer contribution is the most crucial element. Simulations are performed for drop squeezing between (i) two close spheres, (ii) two parallel spheroidal disks, and (iii) three close spheres forming an equilateral triangle (including the case of close solid–solid contact). The drop non-deformed diameter is from two to several times larger than the inner constriction diameter and, in some simulations, the drop decelerates $10^3$–$10^4$ times in the throat before being able to pass through. The effects of the constriction type, capillary number, and viscosity ratio on the drop velocity in the throat, exit time, and drop–solid spacing (of the order of 1% of the particle size) are explored in detail; critical capillary numbers (below which trapping occurs) are accurately determined. Even for a substantially supercritical capillary number, the drop has to nearly coat solid particles to be able to pass through a tight constriction. The ability of the algorithm to simulate both supercritical and subcritical conditions (when the drop is trapped, with a small but non-zero drop–solid spacing) is vital for future applications to large-scale simulations of emulsion flow through granular media.

Three-dimensional instabilities arising in open cavity flows are responsible for complex broad-banded dynamics. Existing studies either focus on theoretical properties of ideal simplified flows or observe the final state of experimental flows. This paper aims to establish a connection between the onset of the centrifugal instabilities and their final expression within the fully saturated flow. To that end, a linear three-dimensional modal instability analysis of steady two-dimensional states developing in an open cavity of aspect ratio $L/D=2$ (length over depth) is conducted. This analysis is performed together with an experimental study in the same geometry adding spanwise endwalls. Two different Reynolds numbers are investigated through spectral analyses and modal decomposition. The physics of the flow is thoroughly described exploiting the strengths of each methodology. The main flow structures are identified and salient space and time scales are characterised. Results indicate that the structures obtained from linear analysis are mainly consistent with the fully saturated experimental flow. The analysis also brings to light the selection and alteration of certain wave properties, which could be caused by nonlinearities or the change of spanwise boundary conditions.

Evaporating suspensions of colloidal particles lead to the formation of a variety of patterns, ranging from a left-over ring of a dried coffee drop to uniformly distributed solid pigments left behind wet paint. To characterize the transition between rings and uniform deposits, we investigate the dynamics of a drying droplet via a multiphase model of colloidal particles in a solvent. Our theory couples the inhomogeneous evaporation at the evolving droplet interface to the dynamics inside the drop. This includes the liquid flow, local variations of the particle concentration leading to a cross-over between dilute and dense suspensions, and the resulting propagation of the deposition front. A dimensionless parameter combining the capillary number and the droplet aspect ratio captures the formation conditions of different pattern types while correctly accounting for the transition from Stokes flow to Darcy flow at high solute concentrations.

We present high-resolution numerical investigations of heat transport by two-dimensional (2D) turbulent Rayleigh–Bénard (RB) convection over the Rayleigh number range $1{0}^{8} \leqslant Ra\leqslant 1{0}^{10} $ and the Prandtl number range $0. 7\leqslant Pr\leqslant 10$. We find that there exists strong counter-gradient local heat flux with magnitude much larger than the global Nusselt number $Nu$ of the system. Two mechanisms for generating counter-gradient heat transport are identified: one is due to the bulk dynamics and the other is due to the competition between the corner-flow rolls and the large-scale circulation (LSC). While the magnitude of the former is found to increase with increasing Prandtl number, that of the latter maximizes at medium $Pr$. We further reveal that the corner–LSC competition leads to the anomalous $Nu$–$Pr$ relation in 2D RB convection, i.e. $Nu(Pr)$ minimizes, rather than maximizes as in the three-dimensional cylindrical case, at $Pr\approx 2\sim 3$ for moderate $Ra$.

The perspective of statistical state dynamics (SSD) has recently been applied to the study of mechanisms underlying turbulence in a variety of physical systems. An SSD is a dynamical system that evolves a representation of the statistical state of the system. An example of an SSD is the second-order cumulant closure referred to as stochastic structural stability theory (S3T), which has provided insight into the dynamics of wall turbulence, and specifically the emergence and maintenance of the roll/streak structure. S3T comprises a coupled set of equations for the streamwise mean and perturbation covariance, in which nonlinear interactions among the perturbations has been removed, restricting nonlinearity in the dynamics to that of the mean equation and the interaction between the mean and perturbation covariance. In this work, this quasi-linear restriction of the dynamics is used to study the structure and dynamics of turbulence in plane Poiseuille flow at moderately high Reynolds numbers in a closely related dynamical system, referred to as the restricted nonlinear (RNL) system. Simulations using this RNL system reveal that the essential features of wall-turbulence dynamics are retained. Consistent with previous analyses based on the S3T version of SSD, the RNL system spontaneously limits the support of its turbulence to a small set of streamwise Fourier components, giving rise to a naturally minimal representation of its turbulence dynamics. Although greatly simplified, this RNL turbulence exhibits natural-looking structures and statistics, albeit with quantitative differences from those in direct numerical simulations (DNS) of the full equations. Surprisingly, even when further truncation of the perturbation support to a single streamwise component is imposed, the RNL system continues to self-sustain turbulence with qualitatively realistic structure and dynamic properties. RNL turbulence at the Reynolds numbers studied is dominated by the roll/streak structure in the buffer layer and similar very large-scale structure (VLSM) in the outer layer. In this work, diagnostics of the structure, spectrum and energetics of RNL and DNS turbulence are used to demonstrate that the roll/streak dynamics supporting the turbulence in the buffer and logarithmic layer is essentially similar in RNL and DNS.

We demonstrate the existence of an exact invariant solution to the Navier–Stokes equations for the asymptotic suction boundary layer. The identified periodic orbit with a very long period of several thousand advective time units is found as a local dynamical attractor embedded in the stability boundary between laminar and turbulent dynamics. Its dynamics captures both the interplay of downstream-oriented vortex pairs and streaks observed in numerous shear flows as well as the energetic bursting that is characteristic for boundary layers. By embedding the flow into a family of flows that interpolates between plane Couette flow and the boundary layer, we demonstrate that the periodic orbit emerges in a saddle–node infinite-period (SNIPER) bifurcation of two symmetry-related travelling-wave solutions of plane Couette flow. Physically, the long period is due to a slow streak instability, which leads to a violent breakup of a streak associated with the bursting and the reformation of the streak at a different spanwise location. We show that the orbit is structurally stable when varying both the Reynolds number and the domain size.

An experimental investigation of an unsteady adverse pressure gradient turbulent boundary layer is described. It is demonstrated that the local flow physics is largely dominated by an inflectional instability which gives rise to an embedded shear layer contained within the boundary layer. Experimental measurements are presented which are fully consistent with the presence of clockwise spanwise-oriented coherent vorticity within the embedded shear layer. Using embedded shear layer scaling parameters in the form of the shear layer vorticity thickness and the velocity defect at the upper inflection point, both the mean and the phase-averaged boundary layer velocity profiles exhibit similarity in both space and time over a large wall-normal extent. In a similar manner, the profiles of the streamwise-component turbulence intensity and Reynolds stress also exhibit similarity when scaled with the embedded shear layer parameters. The embedded shear layer scaling of previously published adverse pressure gradient turbulent boundary layer measurements confirms its generic applicability in a wide range of flow-field geometries and extending to high Reynolds numbers.

The interaction of a turbulent round jet with the free surface was investigated experimentally. Flow visualization, free-surface curvature measurements and hot-film velocity measurements were used to study this flow. It is shown that surface waves are generated by the large-scale vortical structures in the jet flow as they interact with the free surface. These waves propagate at an angle with respect to the flow direction which increases as the Froude number is increased. Propagation of the waves in the flow direction is suppressed by the surface current produced by the jet. Farther downstream the surface motions are caused by the large-scale vortical structures. Characteristic dark circular features are observed in shadowgraph images associated with concentrated vorticity normal to the free surface. The normal vorticity is believed to be the result of vortex line reconnection processes in the turbulent flow. Measurements of the mean velocity and turbulence intensity are reported. Owing to the confinement by the free surface, the decay rate of the maximum mean velocity is reduced by a factor of √2 compared to an unconfined jet.

We do a direct two-dimensional finite-elment simulation of the Navier–Stokes equations and compute the forces which turn an ellipse settling in a vertical channel of viscous fluid in a regime in which the ellipse oscillates under the action of vortex shedding. Turning this way and that is induced by large and unequal values of negative pressure at the rear separation points which are here identified with the two points on the back face where the shear stress vanishes. The main restoring mechanism which turns the broadside of the ellipse perpendicular to the fall is the high pressure at the ‘stagnation point’ on the front face, as in potential flow, which is here identified with the one point on the front face where the shear stress vanishes.

In the present study, the experimental set-up of Ganesh et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 802, 2016, pp. 37–78) is used to examine the dynamics of a shedding cavity by examining the vapour production rate of the natural cavity and determining how minimal injection of non-condensable gas can substantially alter the vapour production rate, the resulting cavity flow and the cavity shedding process. The influence of the dissolved gas content on the shedding natural cavity flow is also examined. High-speed visual imaging and cinemagraphic X-ray densitometry were used to observe the void fraction dynamics of the cavity flow. Non-condensable gas is injected across the span of the cavity flow at two locations: immediately downstream of the cavity detachment location at the apex of the wedge or further downstream into mid-cavity. The gas injected near the apex is found to increase the pressure near the suction peak, which resulted in the suppression of vapour formation. Hence, the injection of gas could result in a substantial net reduction in the overall cavity void fraction. Injection at the mid-cavity did less to suppress the vapour production and resulted in less significant modification of both the mean cavity pressure and net volume fraction. Changes in the cavity void fraction, in turn, altered the dynamics of the bubbly shock formation. Variation of the dissolved gas content alone (i.e. without injection) did not significantly change the cavity dynamics.

We use a newly developed set of interface conditions to revisit the problem of an evaporating thin liquid film. In particular, instead of the conventional Hertz–Knudsen–Langmuir equation for the evaporation mass flux, we impose a more general equation expressing the balance of configurational momentum. This balance, which supplements the conventional conditions enforcing the balances of mass, momentum and energy on the film surface, arises from a consideration of configurational forces within a thermodynamical framework. We study the influence of two newly introduced terms on the evolution of the liquid film. One of these terms accounts for the transport of energy within the liquid–vapour interface. The other term, which we refer to as the effective pressure, accounts for vapour recoil. Both new terms are found to be stabilizing. Furthermore, the effective pressure is found to affect a time-dependent base state of the evaporating film and to be an important factor in applications involving liquid films with thicknesses of one or two monolayers. Specifically, we demonstrate that consideration of the effective pressure makes it possible to observe the influence of the van der Waals interactions on film evolution close to the instant of rupture. Dimensional considerations indicate that one of the most significant influences of these effects occurs for molten metals.

The interaction of a planar shock wave with a square cavity is studied experimentally and numerically. It is shown that such a complex, time-dependent, process can be modelled in a relatively simple manner. The proposed physical model is the Euler equations which are solved numerically, using the second-order-accurate high-resolution GRP scheme, resulting in very good agreement with experimentally obtained findings. Specifically, the wave pattern is numerically simulated throughout the entire interaction process. Excellent agreement is found between the experimentally obtained shadowgraphs and numerical simulations of the various flow discontinuities inside and around the cavity at all times. As could be expected, it is confirmed that the highest pressure acts on the cavity wall which experiences a head-on collision with the incident shock wave while the lowest pressures are encountered on the wall along which the incident shock wave diffracts. The proposed physical model and the numerical simulation used in the present work can be employed in solving shock wave interactions with other complex boundaries.

The stability of thermally stratified plane Couette flow of visco-elastic liquids, with respect to disturbances of small amplitude, is considered. It is found that an initial state of finite elastic stress is necessary for elasticity to effect stability. The critical Rayleigh number of the flow is shown to be decreased for all non-zero rates-of-strain. This greater instability is due solely to the variations of the apparent viscosity with shear rate. In this way, the presence of elasticity can be said to have a destabilizing effect on the flow.

It is demonstrated experimentally and theoretically that through the use of a nonlinear feedback controller, one can render a subcritical Hopf bifurcation supercritical and thus dramatically modify the nature of the flow in a thermal convection loop heated from below and cooled from above. In particular, we show that the controller can replace the naturally occurring chaotic motion with a stable, periodic limit cycle. The control strategy consists of sensing the deviation of fluid temperatures from desired values at a number of locations inside the loop and then altering the wall heating to counteract such deviations.

The effect of pressure gradients on the stability of creeping flows of Newtonian fluids in channels lined with an incompressible and impermeable neo-Hookean material is examined in this work. Three different configurations are considered: (i) pressure-driven flow between a rigid wall and a wall lined with a neo-Hookean material; (ii) pressure-driven flow between neo-Hookean-lined walls; and (iii) combined Couette–Poiseuille flow between a rigid wall and a neo-Hookean-lined wall. In each case, a first normal stress difference whose magnitude depends on depth arises in the base state for the solid, and linear stability analysis reveals that this leads to a short-wave instability which is removed by the presence of interfacial tension. For sufficiently thick solids, low-wavenumber modes become unstable first as the applied strain increases above a critical value, whereas for sufficiently thin solids, high-wavenumber modes becomes unstable first. Comparison of the dimensionless critical strains shows that configurations (i) and (ii) are more difficult to destabilize than Couette flow past a neo-Hookean solid. For configuration (iii), the nonlinear elasticity of the solid leads to two physically distinct critical conditions, in contrast to what happens when a linear elastic material is used. The mechanisms underlying the behaviour of the critical strains are explained through an analysis of the interfacial boundary conditions.