Oscillations of a tank at a near-resonant frequency have been shown to produce a response which changes from a ‘hard-spring’ to a ‘soft-spring’ response as the depth passes through a critical value. This paper investigates the transition region and it is shown, using a symbolic manipulator, that in fact the large-amplitude response is that of a soft spring on either side of this critical depth.

The growth and collapse of a cavitation bubble forming within the core of a line vortex was examined experimentally to determine how the dynamics and noise emission of the elongated cavitation bubble is influenced by the underlying non-cavitating vortex properties. A steady line vortex was formed downstream of a hydrofoil mounted in the test section of a recirculating water channel. A focused pulse of laser light was used to initiate a nucleus in the core of a vortex, allowing for the detailed examination of the growth, splitting and collapse of individual cavitation bubbles as they experience a reduction and recovery of the local static pressure. Images of single-bubble dynamics were captured with two pulse-synchronized high-speed video cameras. The shape and dynamics of single vortex cavitation bubbles are compared to the original vortex properties and the local static pressure in the vortex core, and an analysis was performed to understand the relationship between the non-cavitating vortex properties and the diameter of the elongated cavitation bubble. Acoustic emissions from the bubbles were detected during growing, splitting and collapse, revealing that the acoustic impulse created during collapse was four orders of magnitude higher than the noise emission due to growth and splitting. The dynamics and noise generation of the elongated bubbles are compared to that of spherical cavitation bubbles in quiescent flow. These data indicate that the core size and circulation are insufficient to scale the developed vortex cavitation. The non-cavitating vortex circulation and core size are not sufficient to scale the bubble dynamics, even though the single-phase pressure field is uniquely scaled by these parameters. A simple analytical model of the equilibrium state of the elongated cavitation bubble suggests that there are multiple possible equilibrium values of the elongated bubble radius, each with varying tangential velocities at the bubble interface. Thus, the details of the bubble dynamics and bubble–flow interactions will set the final bubble dimensions.

A flow-induced instability in a tube with flexible walls is studied experimentally. Tubes of diameter 0.8 and 1.2 mm are cast in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer gels, and the catalyst concentration in these gels is varied to obtain shear modulus in the range 17–550 kPa. A pressure drop between the inlet and outlet of the tube is used to drive fluid flow, and the friction factor is measured as a function of the Reynolds number . From these measurements, it is found that the laminar flow becomes unstable, and there is a transition to a more complicated flow profile, for Reynolds numbers as low as 500 for the softest gels used here. The nature of the – curves is also qualitatively different from that in the flow past rigid tubes; in contrast to the discontinuous increase in the friction factor at transition in a rigid tube, it is found that there is a continuous increase in the friction factor from the laminar value of in a flexible tube. The onset of transition is also detected by a dye-stream method, where a stream of dye is injected into the centre of the tube. It is found that there is a continuous increase of the amplitude of perturbations at the onset of transition in a flexible tube, in contrast to the abrupt disruption of the dye stream at transition in a rigid tube. There are oscillations in the wall of the tube at the onset of transition, which is detected from the laser scattering off the walls of the tube. This indicates that the coupling between the fluid stresses and the elastic stresses in the wall results in an instability of the laminar flow.

A numerical and experimental modelling study was carried out in a curved tube to analyse the behaviour of unsteady flows in a bend. Based on a test bench, with no mechanical disturbances, the flow behaviour was observed using fluorescein injection. Velocity measurements were performed using hot-film anemometry. In addition, a finite volume method was used to perform three-dimensional unsteady numerical simulations. Womersley parameter values between 8 and 21 and Dean number values between 110 and 420 were used to assess the parameters affecting the flow behaviour. Secondary motions were observed, experimentally and numerically, showing the complexity of the flow patterns. The initiation and subsequent development are explained quantitatively. Based on our analysis of the starting effect, the secondary patterns were found to be highly dependent on both the initial conditions and the flow waveforms.

We use particle-resolved direct numerical simulation (PR-DNS) as a model-free physics-based numerical approach to validate particle acceleration modelling in gas-solid suspensions. To isolate the effect of the particle acceleration model, we focus on point-particle direct numerical simulation (PP-DNS) of a collision-free dilute suspension with solid-phase volume fraction $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}=0.001$ in a decaying isotropic turbulent particle-laden flow. The particle diameter $d_{p}$ in the suspension is chosen to be the same as the initial Kolmogorov length scale $\unicode[STIX]{x1D702}_{0}$ ($d_{p}/\unicode[STIX]{x1D702}_{0}=1$) in order to overlap with the regime where PP-DNS is valid. We assess the point-particle acceleration model for two different particle Stokes numbers, $St_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D702}}=1$ and 100. For the high Stokes number case, the Stokes drag model for particle acceleration under-predicts the true particle acceleration. In addition, second moment quantities which play key roles in the physical evolution of the gas–solid suspension are not correctly captured. Considering finite Reynolds number corrections to the acceleration model improves the prediction of the particle acceleration probability density function and second moment statistics of the point-particle model compared with the particle-resolved simulation. We also find that accounting for the undisturbed fluid velocity in the acceleration model can be of greater importance than using the most appropriate acceleration model for a given physical problem.

An experimental investigation of transition phenomena in non-steady boundary layers of sinusoidally oscillating flows was conducted, and the effect of various parameters on the transition process was observed.

The manner in which transition occurs appears to be related to a dimensionless grouping designated as the non-steady Reynolds number, (Re)NS = LΔU/2πvν. When this number exceeds a certain critical value, transition begins with turbulent bursts appearing periodically at the frequency of the free stream oscillation; these are preceded by instability waves having the appearance of a Tollmien-Schlichting instability. The transition Reynolds number depends, in this case, only on the amplitude of the free stream oscillations and not on their frequency, at least to the first order. Below a critical value of this parameter, transition occurs at a relatively constant Reynolds number which appears independent of the amplitude and frequency of the oscillation, at least over the range tested.

When the bursts appear periodically, their development appears to occur in two succeeding phases: an initial or ‘creative’ phase marked by a sequential appearance of turbulence upstream and rapid development and a latter or ‘convective’ phase marked by turbulent spots having relatively constant leading and trailing edge velocities.

The dimensionless amplitude, ΔU/U∞, of the imposed oscillations was varied from 0.014 to 0.29 while the oscillation frequencies extended from 4.5 to 62c/s. Pressure gradients imposed on the flat plate model during the course of the study are given by dCp/dx = − 0.004/ft., −0.081/ft. and 0.045/ft. where Cp = 2p/ρU2∞ and x is the distance (ft.) along the plate.

We simulate multivesicle suspensions undergoing simple shear deformation by using the Stokes-flow boundary-integral equation method to quantify the effect of vesicle–vesicle interactions on the microstructure and rheology of the suspension. The binary collisions between vesicles are found to cause a vesicle’s instantaneous inclination angle to deviate considerably from its stationary tank-treading angle. The strength of the binary interaction becomes significant when the distance between centroids is less than three vesicle radii, which is consistent with observations from experiments. Vesicle interactions in the suspension delay the transition from tank-treading (TT) to trembling (TR)/tumbling (TU), which can be explained by the augmentation of the inclination angles in a binary collision when the viscosity ratio $\lambda $ is close to its critical value. Accordingly, in a non-dilute suspension the global minimum of the particle shear viscosity occurs at higher values of $\lambda $ due to the close correlation between the vesicle’s orientation and particle shear stress. In the high-$\lambda $ regime, collisions in a suspension disrupt the TU cycles of individual vesicles, resulting in intermittent TU/TR motions. In addition, an entangled state is observed to occur for an interacting vesicle pair in the TR/TU regime, where the centroids are aligned approximately parallel to the vorticity direction and rotates about it. The persistence of this close-range interaction results in two distinct peaks in the pair distribution of vesicles. However, their existence is limited to suspensions at low volume fraction, as they are otherwise disrupted by the three-body interactions that occur more frequently in a dense suspension.

An array of closely spaced round buoyant jets interact dynamically due to the pressure field induced by jet entrainment. Mutual jet attraction can result in a significant change in jet trajectories. Jet merging also leads to overlapping of the passive scalar fields associated with the individual jets, resulting in mixing characteristics that are drastically different from those of an independent free jet. A general semi-analytical model for the dynamic interaction of multiple buoyant jets in stagnant ambient conditions is proposed. The external irrotational flow field induced by the buoyant jets is computed by a distribution of point sinks with strength equal to the entrainment per unit length along the unknown jet trajectories and accounting for boundary effects. The buoyant jet trajectories are then determined by an iterative solution of an integral buoyant jet model by tracking the changes in the external entrainment flow and dynamic pressure fields. The velocity and concentration fields of the jet group are obtained by momentum or kinetic energy superposition for merged jets and plumes, respectively. The modelling approach is supported by numerical solution of the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations. The model shows that jet merging and mixing can be significantly affected by jet interactions. Model predictions of the multiple jet trajectories, merging height, as well as the centreline velocity and concentration of the buoyant jet group are in good agreement with experimental data for: (i) a clustered momentum jet group; (ii) a turbulent plume pair; and (iii) a rosette buoyant jet group. Dynamic interactions between a jet group are shown to decrease with the addition of an ambient cross-flow.

The existence of a liquefaction shock wave, a compression shock which converts vapour into liquid, has recently been predicted on physical grounds. The liquefaction shock was experimentally produced as the reflected shock at the closed end of a shock tube. Measurements of pressure, temperature, index of refraction and shock velocity confirm the existence of the shock and its general conformity to classical Rankine-Hugoniot conditions, with a discrepancy ∼ 10°C between measured and predicted liquid temperatures. Photographic observations confirmed the existence of a clear liquid phase and revealed the (unanticipated) presence of small two-phase torus-form rings. These rings are interpreted as vortices and are formed in or near the shockfront (∼ 50 rings/mm2 are visible near the shockfront at any given time). Separate experiments with the incident shock under conditions of partial liquefaction produced a fog behind the shock: measurements of laser-beam attenuation yielded the thickness of the condensation zone and estimates of the droplet size (∼ 10−7 m).

This study is an experimental investigation of the probability density function (p.d.f.) and the fine structure of temperature fluctuations in uniformly sheared turbulence with a passively introduced uniform mean temperature gradient. The shear parameter was relatively large, resulting in vigorous turbulence production and a total mean strain up to 23. The turbulence Reynolds number was up to 253. The scalar fluctuations grew in a self-similar fashion and at the same exponential rate as the turbulence stresses, in conformity with predictions based on an analytical solution of the scalar variance equation. Analytical considerations as well as measurements demonstrate that the scalar p.d.f. is essentially Gaussian and that the scalar–velocity joint p.d.f. is essentially jointly Gaussian, with the conditional expectations of the velocity fluctuations linearly dependent on the scalar value. Joint statistics of the scalar and its dissipation rate indicate a statistical independence of the two parameters. The fine structure of the scalar was invoked from statistics of derivatives and differences of the scalar, in both the streamwise and transverse directions. Probability density functions of scalar derivatives and differences in the dissipative and the inertial ranges were strongly non-Gaussian and skewed, displaying flared, asymmetric tails. All measurements point to a highly intermittent scalar fine structure, even more intermittent than the fine structure of the turbulent velocity.

A photographic study has been made of Kelvin-Helmholtz waves on thin liquid sheets and it has been found that, contrary to two-dimensional theory, wave growth is critically dependent upon sheet velocity and distance from the origin. This is attributed to boundary-layer separation and to subsequent vortex growth.

Recent investigations by Kraichnan (1961) and Ogura (1961) have raised doubts concerning the usefulness of the zero fourth cumulant approximation in turbulence dynamics. It appears extremely tedious to examine, by numerical computation, the consequences of this approximation on the turbulent energy spectrum although the appropriate equations have been established by Proudman & Reid (1954) and Tatsumi (1957). It has proved possible, however, to compute numerically the sequences of an analogous assumption when applied to an isotropic passive scalar in isotropic turbulence.

The result of such computation, for specific initial conditions described herein, and for stationary turbulence, is that the scalar spectrum does develop negative values after a time approximately $2 \Lambda | {\overline {(u^2)}} ^{\frac {1}{2}}$, Where Λ is a length scale typical of the energy-containing components of both the turbulent and scalar spectra and $\overline {(u^2)}^{\frac {1}{2}}$ is the root mean square turbulent velocity.

This study examines the structure of shear stress and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) flux across the roughness layer of a uniform, fully rough gravel-bed channel flow (ks+ ≫ 100, δ/k = 20) using high-resolution acoustic Doppler velocity profiler measurements. The studied gravel-bed roughness layer exhibits a complex random multi-scale roughness structure in strong contrast with conceptualized k- or d-type roughness in standard rough-wall flows. Within the roughness layer, strong spatial variability of all time-averaged flow quantities are observed affecting up to 40% of the boundary layer height. This variability is attributed to the presence of bed zones with emanating bed protuberances (or gravel clusters) acting as local flow obstacles and bed zones of more homogenous roughness of densely packed gravel elements. Considering the strong spatial mean flow variability across the roughness layer, a spatio-temporal averaging procedure, called double averaging (DA), has been applied to the analysed flow quantities. Three aspects have been addressed: (a) the DA shear stress and DA TKE flux in specific bed zones associated with three classes of velocity profiles as previously proposed in Mignot, Barthélemy & Hurther (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 618, 2009, p. 279), (b) the global and per class DA conditional statistics of shear stress and associated TKE flux and (c) the contribution of large-scale coherent shear stress structures (LC3S) to the TKE flux across the roughness layer. The mean Reynolds and dispersive shear structure show good agreement between the protuberance bed zones associated with the S-shape/accelerated classes and recent results obtained in standard k-type rough-wall flows (Djenidi et al., Exp. Fluids, vol. 44, 2008, p. 37; Pokrajac, McEwan & Nikora, Exp. Fluids, vol. 45, 2008, p. 73). These gravel-bed protuberances act as local flow obstacles inducing a strong turbulent activity in their wake regions. The conditional statistics show that the Reynolds stress contribution is fairly well distributed between sweep and ejection events, with threshold values ranging from H = 0 to H = 8. However, the TKE flux across the roughness layer primarily results from the residual shear stress between ejection and sweep of very high magnitude (H = 10–20) and of small turbulent scale. Although LC3S are seen to penetrated the interfacial roughness layer, their TKE flux contribution is found to be negligible compared to the very energetic small-scale sweep events. These sweeps are dominantly produced in the bed zones of local gravel protuberances where the velocity profiles are inflexional of S-shape type and the mean flow properties are of mixing-layer flow type as previously shown in Mignot et al. (2009).

The dynamics of a spreading liquid body are dictated by the interface shape and flow field very near the moving contact line. The interface shape and flow field have been described by asymptotic models in the limit of small capillary number, Ca. Previous work established the validity and limitations of these models of the interface shape (Chen et al. 1995). Here, we study the flow field near the moving contact line. Using videomicroscopy, particle image velocimetry, and digital image analysis, we simultaneously make quantitative measurements of both the interface shape and flow field from 30 μm to a few hundred microns from the contact line. We compare our data to the modulated-wedge solution for the velocity field near a moving contact line (Cox 1986). The measured flow fields demonstrate quantitative agreement with predictions for Ca[les ]0.1, but deviations of ∼5% of the spreading velocity at Ca≈0.4. We observe that the interface shapes and flow fields become geometry independent near the contact line. Our experimental technique provides a way of measuring the interface shape and velocity field to be used as boundary conditions for numerical calculations of the macroscopic spreading dynamics.

The sedimentation of a small dense sphere through a suspension of neutrally buoyant fibres is investigated via a numerical simulation technique that includes both fibre–fibre contact forces and long-range hydrodynamic interactions. In situations where the diameter of the sphere is smaller than the length of the fibres, calculations that exclude the effect of contacts between fibres severely underestimate the drag force on the sphere measured in experiments. By including fibre–fibre contacts in our simulations we are to able to account for this discrepancy, and also the strong dependence of the drag on the initial orientation of the fibres. At low and moderate values of nL3, where n is the number of fibres per unit volume and L the fibre length, hydrodynamic interactions are found to be important in moderating the effect of contacts between fibres.

An asymptotic solution is presented for the limit when the sphere diameter is much smaller than both the fibre length and inter-fibre spacing, but large compared to the fibre thickness. This is found to be in good agreement with the simulations.

Results of calculations on sedimentation through a monolayer of fibres are also presented, as a model of a semi-concentrated suspension. Collisions between fibres are much more frequent, due to the geometric confinement.

A novel method to create a discontinuous gaseous interface with a minimum-surface feature by the soap film technique is developed for three-dimensional (3D) Richtmyer–Meshkov instability (RMI) studies. The interface formed is free of supporting mesh and the initial condition can be well controlled. Five air/SF6 interfaces with different amplitude are realized in shock-tube experiments. Time-resolved schlieren and planar Mie-scattering photography are employed to capture the motion of the shocked interface. It is found that the instability at the linear stage in the symmetry plane grows much slower than the predictions of previous two-dimensional (2D) impulsive models, which is ascribed to the opposite principal curvatures of the minimum surface. The 2D impulsive model is extended to describe the general 3D RMI. A quantitative analysis reveals a good agreement between experiments and the extended linear model for all the configurations including both the 2D and 3D RMIs at their early stages. An empirical model that combines the early linear growth with the late-time nonlinear growth is also proposed for the whole evolution process of the present configuration.

This paper concerns the stability characteristics of laminar natural convection in external flows. Until recently, very little was known about such stability because of the inherent complexity of temperature-coupled flows and because of the complicated mechanisms of disturbance propagation. In this work the stability of the laminar natural convection boundary layer is examined more closely in an attempt to predict the experimental results recently obtained. In particular, it is shown that an important thermal capacity coupling exists between the fluid and the wall which generates the flow. This thermal capacity coupling is shown to have a first-order effect for particular Grashof-number wave-number products. Solutions are obtained for a Prandtl number of 0·733 and several values of relative wall thermal capacity. These solutions indicate the important role of this wall coupling. In particular, the results predict the experimental data previously obtained.

In addition, solutions with ‘zero wall storage’ are obtained for a range of Prandtl numbers from 0·733 to 6·9. The relative disturbance u-velocity and temperature amplitudes and their phases are shown for Pr = 0·733 and several wall-storage parameters, and for Pr = 6·9 with zero wall storage. A comparison between the disturbance temperature distribution and the data obtained from a recent experimental investigation shows close agreement when the thermal capacity of the wall is taken into account.

In the appendix, it is shown that for temperature-coupled flows and wall-coupled boundary conditions the flow is unstable at a lower Grashof number for two-dimensional disturbances than it is for three-dimensional disturbances. This result has been supported by the recent experimental observations.

The sound generated by the interaction between convected vortical and entropic disturbances and a blade row is a significant component of the total noise emitted by a modern aeroengine, and the blade geometry has an important effect on this process. As a first step in the development of a general prediction scheme, we model in this paper just the action of the blade mean loading by treating the blades as flat plates aligned at a non-zero incidence angle, δ, to the oncoming stream, and consider harmonic components of the incident field with reduced frequency k. We then use asymptotic analysis in the realistic limit k[Gt ]1, δ[Lt ]1 with kδ=O(1) to make a consistent asymptotic expansion of the compressible Euler equations. The flow is seen to consist of inner regions around each leading edge, in which sound is generated by the local gust–airfoil and gust–flow interactions, and an outer region in which both the incident gust is distorted according to rapid distortion theory and the out-going sound is refracted by the non-uniform mean flow. The complicated multiple interactions between the sound and the cascade are included to the appropriate asymptotic order, and analytical expressions for the forward radiation are derived. It is seen that even a relatively small value of δ can have a significant effect, thanks to both the O(δk1/2) change in the amplitudes and the O(kδ) change in the phases of the various radiation components, corresponding to the additional source mechanisms associated with the flow distortion around each leading edge and the effects of propagation through the non-uniform flow, respectively. Further work will extend this analysis to include the effects of camber and thickness.

We examine the steady, inviscid, supersonic flow of Bethe-Zel'dovich–Thompson (BZT) fluids in two-dimensional cascade configurations. Bethe-Zel'dovich–Thompson fluids are single-phase gases having specific heats so large that the fundamental derivative of gasdynamics, Γ, is negative over a finite range of pressures and temperatures. The equation of state is the well-known Martin–Hou equation, and the numerical scheme is the explicit predictor-corrector method of MacCormack. Numerical comparisons between BZT fluids and lighter fluids such as steam are presented. It was found that the natural dynamics of BZT fluids can result in significant reductions in the adverse pressure gradients associated with the collision of compression waves with neighbouring turbine blades. A numerical example of an entirely isentropic supersonic cascade flow is also presented.

A Poiseuille-flow problem in a cylindrical capillary in the whole range of Knudsen numbers with incomplete tangential momentum accommodation of molecules incident on the wall has been worked out. The linear non-homogeneous integral equation for the macroscopic gas velocity flow has been solved by the Bubnov-Galerkin method. For a limited range of Knudsen numbers, generally known results have been obtained.

An experimental investigation of the rare gases helium, neon and argon in the range of Knudsen numbers 103−10−3 has been made on packets consisting of 10 and 100 glass capillaries with molten walls. Comparison of theoretical and experimental data enables us to define both slip constants and tangential momentum accommodation coefficients. In the free-molecule flow regime the accommodation coefficients are 0·935, 0·929 and 0·975 for helium, neon and argon, respectively. In the viscous slip-flow regime these coefficients are equal to 0·895, 0·865 and 0·919, respectively. This difference in the tangential momentum accommodation coefficients is, most probably, due to the variable density of adsorbed molecules coating the capillary wall. Gas viscosity coefficients which coincide with those of Kestin within 0.5% have also been calculated. Argon was used as the calibrating gas.