An oscillating flow over a sandy beach can initiate and enhance the formation of bed ripples, with crests perpendicular to the direction of the ambient oscillation. Under certain circumstances, bridges may develop to span adjacent ripple crests, resulting in a brick pattern. It has been suggested that the onset of this transition is due to a three-dimensional centrifugal instability of an otherwise two-dimensional flow over periodic long-crested ripples. Here we analyse theoretically such an instability by assuming that the ripples are rigid and smooth. Two complementary cases are studied. We first consider a weak ambient oscillation over ripples of finite slope in Case (i). The three-dimensional disturbance is found to be localized in a small region either along the crests or along the troughs. In Case (ii) we analyse finite oscillations over ripples of mild slope. The region influenced by the instability is now comparable with a ripple wavelength and the unstable disturbance along adjacent ripples may interact with each other. Four types of harmonic and subharmonic instabilities are found. The associated steady streaming close to the ripple surface shows various tendencies of possible sand accumulations, some of which appear to be qualitatively relevant to the initiation of brick-patterned ripples.

A series of tests have been conducted on the autorotation of plates of rectangular section and thickness to chord ratios of from 0.1 to 1.0. The major difference from previous work was that the plates spanned the full width of the wind tunnel, i.e. the flow was essentially two-dimensional. The results show major differences from predictions of infinite aspect ratio plates inferred from finite aspect ratio tests as given by Iversen (1979). Moreover, they give excellent correlation with the two-dimensional numerical solution of Lugt (1980) for a 10% thick plate. In contrast to previous results which indicate no autorotation for square cylinders (t/c = 1.0), it is found that autorotation is easily achieved. A new result is that tipspeed ratios are found to be independent of thickness ratio, at approximately the Lugt value over the full range of thickness ratios. Drag coefficients are found to be independent of thickness ratio. There appears to be a critical thickness ratio above and below which the lift coefficients are constant, but are of different magnitude.

A semi-infinite jet flows along a vertical wall in a rotating fluid, with the nose of the intrusion approaching a corner where the wall turns through an obtuse angle θ + 180°. The jet separates at the corner and flows into the interior if θ exceeds a critical θc, otherwise part of the jet continues around the corner and flows along the downstream segment of the wall. The separation criterion is computed using an inviscid and piecewise-uniform-vorticity model, with s denoting the ratio of the maximum ‘offshore’ to ‘inshore’ vorticity. The separation effect is demonstrated by a laboratory experiment in which a two-dimensional jet flows along the wall from a source. Average velocities are used to estimate s, and to make semi-quantitative comparisons of experimental and theoretical θc. This suggests that the separation mechanism is independent of local viscous forces, although the cumulative effect of lateral eddy stresses in the jet is important in establishing the value of s immediately upstream from the corner. We suggest that our barotropic separation mechanism is relevant to mesoscale oceanic coastal currents.

Capillary–gravity waves of permanent form at the interface between two unbounded fluids in relative motion are considered. The range of wavelengths for an internal resonance with the second harmonic and a period-doubling bifurcation are found to depend on the current speed. The Kelvin–Helmholtz instability of short waves becomes strongly subcritical near resonance. It is speculated that this instability is needed to trigger a period-doubling bifurcation. This notion is used to explain the development of waves at short fetch and the initiation of liquid slugs for gas–liquid flow in a horizontal pipe.

Mean-velocity and turbulence measurements have been made in the turbulent near wake of a flat plate at various Reynolds numbers in order to investigate the low-Reynolds-number effects in this region. The results indicate that the low-Reynolds-number effects are significant enough to partially explain the discrepancies in the existing mean-velocity data. It has been found that, while the Reynolds-number-independent, inner-law similarity of the boundary layers continues to exist, the width of the inner wake that develops within the inner-law region scales with the outer variable. Therefore, the mean velocity near the wake centreline depends on the Reynolds number. It is conjectured that this is due to the influence of the large eddies of the outer layer on the spreading of the inner wake.

Measured turbulence quantities indicate that sudden changes occurring just downstream of the trailing edge are independent of the Reynolds number, but the subsequent development of the turbulent stress profiles depends on the Reynolds number. The Reynolds shear stress and the mean-velocity profiles within the inner wake show approximate similarity.

Surface waves superimposed upon a larger-scale flow are blocked at the points where the group velocities balance the convection by the larger-scale flow. Two types of blockage, capillary and gravity, are investigated by using a new multiple-scale technique, in which the short waves are treated linearly and the underlying larger-scale flows are assumed steady but can have a considerably curved surface and uniform vorticity. The technique first provides a uniformly valid second-order ordinary differential equation, from which a consistent uniform asymptotic solution can readily be obtained by using a treatment suggested by the result of Smith (1975) who described the phenomenon of gravity blockage in an unsteady current with finite depth.

The corresponding WKBJ solution is also derived as a consistent asymptotic expansion of the uniform solution, which is valid at points away from the blockage point. This solution is obviously represented by a linear combination of the incident and reflected waves, and their amplitudes take explicit forms so that it can be shown that even with a significantly varied effective gravity g’ and constant vorticity, wave action will remain conserved for each wave. Furthermore, from the relative amplitudes of the incident and reflected waves, we clearly demonstrate that the action fluxes carried by the two waves towards and away from the blockage point are equal within the present approximation.

The blockage of gravity–capillary waves can occur at the forward slopes of a finite-amplitude dominant wave as suggested by Phillips (1981). The results show that the blocked waves will be reflected as extremely short capillaries and then dissipated rapidly by viscosity. Therefore, for a fixed dominant wave, all wavelets shorter than a limiting wavelength will be suppressed by this process. The minimum wavelengths coexisting with the long waves of various wavelengths and slopes are estimated.

A numerical study based on the nonlinear Schrödinger equation, as applied to nonlinear resonant standing waves excited directly by a wavemaker in a rectangular tank, is presented. The stationary solutions of the problem serve as a starting point of the investigation. Bifurcations from a single steady state to multiple stationary solutions are obtained for several values of damping coefficients along the tank and at the wavemaker. The stability of the latter solutions is tested. Limit-cycle or fixed-point solutions are obtained. The results of the numerical study are discussed in connection with experimental data. The necessity of incorporation of dissipation at the wavemaker in the theoretical model in order to obtain qualitative agreement with experiment is demonstrated.

The nature of the non-equilibrium flow of strongly dissociating nitrogen has been investigated by a series of simulation calculations using non-equilibrium (finite rate) chemical reactions. These were made with the equilibrium flux method (EFM), and the results have been found to compare favourably with experimental results obtained with a free-piston driven shock-tube wind tunnel which was used to obtain interferograms of the flow of pure nitrogen over a blunt-nosed body, 65 mm long at three angles of incidence. No simple relation between the flow with non-equilibrium chemistry and those for frozen or equilibrium chemistry has been found. The problems of relating test flows produced in the shock tunnel to flight conditions are investigated by considering the test flows that might be produced by some ‘ideal equivalent wind tunnels’. It is shown that the degree of frozen dissociation in the test flow in a shock tunnel is not a serious matter, but that the large difference in Mach number between shock tunnel flows and flight conditions may be more important.

The closed equations of isotropic turbulence, obtained by the method of non-equilibrium statistical mechanics and a perturbation-variation approach (Qian 1983, 1985, 1988), are applied to the study of the spectrum dynamics of a turbulent passive scalar in the viscous–convective range. Batchelor's k−1 spectrum is further confirmed. Moreover the effective average value of the least principal rate of strain γ in Batchelor's spectrum function is theoretically evaluated and it is found that γ−1 = C(ν/ε)½ with C = 2√5. Here ν is the kinematic viscosity, and ε is the energy dissipation rate. This prediction is in agreement with experimental data reported by Grant et al. (1968) and Williams & Paulson (1977).

Buoyancy-driven flows resulting from the introduction of fluid of one density into a crack embedded in an elastic solid of different density are analysed. Scaling arguments are used to determine the regimes in which different combinations of the buoyancy force, elastic stress, viscous pressure drop and material toughness provide the dominant pressure balance in the flow. The nonlinear equations governing the shape and rate of spread of the propagating crack are formulated for the cases of vertical propagation of buoyant fluid released into a solid of greater density and of lateral propagation of fluid released at an interface between an upper layer of lesser density and a lower layer of greater density. Similarity solutions of these equations are derived under the assumption that the volume of fluid is given by Qtα, where Q and α are constants. Both laminar and turbulent flows are considered.

Fluid fracture is an important mechanism for the transport of molten rock from the region of production in the Earth's mantle to surface eruptions or near-surface emplacement. The theoretical solutions provide simple models which describe the relation between the elastic and fluid-mechanical phenomena involved in the vertical transport of melt through the Earth's lithosphere and in the lateral intrusion of melt at a neutral-buoyancy level close to the Earth's surface.

Observations of liquid vortex sloshing and Kelvin's equilibrium states were made inside a cylindrical container using a spinning disk near its base. Both steady and periodic free-surface sloshing phenomena were found to take place. During periodic sloshing, the air core sustained shape transformations, assuming an elliptical cross-section at the end, and then collapsed forming a pair of vortices. Kelvin's equilibrium states emerged at lower liquid levels. These were stable within an interval of rotational speeds. The bandwidth of stationary states decreased as the wavenumber (N) increased. For N greater than six, the states appeared critically stable. Between equilibria, unstable transitional regions were found to exist. As the liquid level was decreased, the core shape spectrum shifted towards smaller frequencies.

The Hamiltonian form of the equations for surface waves can generate very nonlinear, realistic-looking solutions even when the Hamiltonian is truncated to low order – two or three terms – in its slope expansion. A perturbation analysis of these equations shows that most of the basic fluid behaviour is retained in the low-order terms; however, the lowest-order nonlinear equations become dramatically unstable at wavenumbers greater than g/w2, where w is the local vertical surface velocity. One more term in the Hamiltonian mitigates this instability, extending the regime of stable slopes and wavenumbers.

Numerical solutions, obtained via the boundary-integral technique, are used to consider the effect of a linear axisymmetric straining flow on the existence of steady-state configurations in which a neutrally buoyant spherical particle straddles a gas–liquid interface. The problem is directly applicable to predictions of the stability of particle capture in flotation processes, and is also of interest in the context of contact angle and surface tension measurements. A primary goal of the present study is a determination of the critical capillary number, Cac, beyond which an initially captured particle is pulled from the interface by the flow, and the dependence of Cac on the equilibrium contact angle θc. We also present equilibrium configurations for a wide range of contact angles and subcritical capillary numbers.

We present results from an experimental investigation of turbulent transport and molecular mixing of a Sc [Gt ] 1 conserved scalar in the fully developed self-similar far field of a steady, axisymmetric, momentum-driven, free turbulent jet issuing into a quiescent medium. Our experiments cover the axial range from the jet exit to 350 diameters downstream, and span the range of Reynolds numbers from 1500 to 20000. Flow visualizations of the scalar concentration field directly verify the presence of an underlying characteristic large-scale organization in the jet far field essentially consistent with a simplified conceptual picture proposed in an earlier study (Dahm & Dimotakis 1987). High-resolution imaging measurements of successive instantaneous scalar concentration profiles in the jet support the presence of such a large-scale organization and provide details of its implications for mixing. These results also establish the proper similarity scaling for the mean concentration in the jet far field and give the scaling constant on the jet centreline as 5.4. We also present conserved scalar concentration p.d.f.s throughout the jet far field, and introduce a chemical reaction method for measuring the p.d.f.s with potentially molecular resolution. The amount of unmixed ambient fluid that reaches the jet centreline is found to decrease with increasing Reynolds number over the range investigated. The distribution of mixed fluid compositions in the concentration p.d.f. also appears to change over this range of Reynolds numbers, indicating that some aspects of large Schmidt number mixing in the jet far field have not yet become Reynolds number independent.

The model developed in Part 1 for the solidification and convection that occurs when an alloy is cooled from above is extended to investigate the role of disequilibrium at the mush–liquid interface. Small departures from equilibrium are important because in a convecting system an interfacial temperature below its equilibrium value can drive the bulk temperature of the melt below its liquidus. This behaviour is observed in experiments and can result in crystallization within and at the base of the convecting melt. The additional crystals formed in the interior can settle to the base of the fluid and continue to grow, causing the composition of the melt to change. This ultimately affects the solidification at the roof. The effects of disequilibrium are explored in this paper by replacing the condition of marginal equilibrium at the interface used in the model of Part 1 with a kinetic growth law of the form $\dot{h}_1 = {\cal G}\delta T$, where $\dot{h}_1$ is the rate of advance of the mush–liquid interface, δT is the amount by which the interfacial temperature is below the liquidus temperature of the melt and [Gscr ] is an empirical constant. This modification enables the model to predict very accurately both the growth of the mushy layer and the development of supersaturation in the isopropanol experiments described in Part 1. An additional series of experiments, using aqueous solutions of sodium sulphate, is presented in which the development of supersaturation leads to the internal nucleation and growth of crystals. A further extension of the model is introduced which successfully accounts for this internal crystal growth and the changing composition of the melt. We discuss the implications of this work for geologists studying the formation of igneous rocks. Important conclusions include the facts that cooling the roof of a magma chamber can lead to crystallization at its floor and that vigorous convection can occur in a magma chamber even when there is no initial superheat.

Radial migration (particle motion transverse to streamlines) in a system which combines frequent entry, straight pore, and exit regions were investigated experimentally for small particle and pore sizes. Pore diameters were less than 30 μm and typical particle to pore diameter ratios were about 0.25. Our new modification of the resistive pulse technique based on pressure reversal, extends this experimental technique to also include single-particle flow dynamics. By pressure drive, a particle in an electrolyte enters a current-carrying pore and an increase in resistance proportional to the particle volume is detected. When the particle exits the pore, the pressure can be reversed such that the particle re-enters the pore. Detailed studies of particle flow properties in a size range relevant to flow in porous media is now possible. The emphasis in this investigation is on radial migration. The effect of particle sedimentation has been negligible, while particle diffusion becomes significant for submicron particles. The measured evolution of the transit time as the particle migrates compares well with an empirical relationship for the migration velocity first proposed by Segré & Silberberg (1962 a, b) and later verified by Ishii & Hasimoto (1980). Entrance and exit effects do not seem to be important for long pores, the results scale very nicely when the pore length is changed.

The three-dimensional boundary layer on a swept wing can support different types of hydrodynamic instability. Here attention is focused on the so-called ‘spanwise instability’ problem which occurs when the attachment-line boundary layer on the leading edge becomes unstable to Tollmien–Schlichting waves. In order to gain insight into the interactions that are important in that problem a simplified basic state is considered. This simplified flow corresponds to the swept attachment-line boundary layer on an infinite flat plate. The basic flow here is an exact solution of the Navier–Stokes equations and its stability to two-dimensional waves propagating along the attachment line can be considered exactly at finite Reynolds number. This has been done in the linear and weakly nonlinear regimes by Hall, Malik & Poll (1984) and Hall & Malik (1986). Here the corresponding problem is studied for oblique waves and their interaction with two-dimensional waves is investigated. In fact oblique modes cannot be described exactly at finite Reynolds number so it is necessary to make a high-Reynolds-number approximation and use triple-deck theory. It is shown that there are two types of oblique wave which, if excited, cause the destabilization of the two-dimensional mode and the breakdown of the disturbed flow at a finite distance from the leading edge. First a low-frequency mode closely related to the viscous stationary crossflow mode discussed by Hall (1986) and MacKerrell (1987) is a possible cause of breakdown. Secondly a class of oblique wave with frequency comparable with that of the two-dimensional mode is another cause of breakdown. It is shown that the relative importance of the modes depends on the distance from the attachment line.

We report the results of an inviscid spatial stability calculation for a compressible reacting mixing layer. The limit of infinite Damkohler number is taken and the diffusion flame is approximated by a flame sheet. Results are reported for the phase speeds of the neutral waves and maximum growth rates of the unstable waves as a function of the parameters of the problem: the ratio of the temperature of the stationary stream to that of the fast stream, the Mach number of the fast stream, the heat release per unit mass fraction of the reactant, the equivalence ratio of the reaction, and the frequency of the disturbance. These results are compared to the phase speeds and growth rates of the corresponding non-reacting mixing layer. We show that the addition of combustion has important, and complex, effects on the flow stability. In particular, we show that the flow can become absolutely unstable with a sufficient amount of heat release.

The occurrence of secondary flow in curved ducts due to the centrifugal forces can often significantly influence the flow rate. In the present work, the secondary flow of an incompressible viscous fluid in a curved duct is studied by using a finite-volume method. It is shown that as the Dean number is increased the secondary flow structure evolves into a double vortex pair for low-aspect-ratio ducts and roll cells for ducts of high aspect ratio. A stability diagram is obtained in the domain of curvature ratio and Reynolds number. It is found that for ducts of high curvature the onset of transition from single vortex pair to double vortex pair or roll cells depends on the Dean number and the curvature ratio, while for ducts of small curvature the onset can be characterized by the Dean number alone. A comparison with the available theoretical and experimental results indicates good agreement. A correlation for the friction factor as a function of the Dean number and aspect ratio is developed and is found to be in good agreement with the available experimental and computational results for a wide range of parameters.

We describe experiments on convection in binary fluid mixtures in a large-aspect-ratio annular container. In this geometry, the convective rolls align radially and travel azimuthally, providing a model of travelling waves in an extended one-dimensional nonlinear dynamical system. Several different stable non-equilibrium states can be produced in this experiment, and the competition between them leads to a wide variety of steady and time-dependent behaviour. The observed spatiotemporal behaviour may shed light on recent theories of the nature of stable nonlinear travelling-wave convection, the pinning of travelling waves, and the creation of spatiotemporal defects.