Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gvvz8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T01:52:39.105Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Mean field approximations to Couette flow and its stability

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 October 2008

Roy Bradley
Affiliation:
Department of Mathematics, Rutherford College of Technology, Ellison Place, Newcastle upon Tyne

Abstract

The preferred-mode method of Roberts (11) is applied to the stability of liquid contained between coaxial cylinders, the inner of which is rotating. Accordingly the velocity field of a steady Taylor vortex is approximated by a truncated Fourier series and the steady state corresponding to a chosen wave number is obtained. The stability of a steady state so obtained is investigated:

(a) With respect to an axisymmetric perturbation associated with a Taylor vortex of a different axial wave number, so that a stable or ‘ preferred ’ steady state is determined. This is done for a narrow gap, η (the ratio of the radii of the cylinders) = 0·95, for Taylor numbers up to 40%, and for a wide gap, η = 0·5, up to 30% beyond the critical values.

(b) For a narrow gap, η = 0·95, with respect to a non-axisymmetric perturbation of a different axial wave number. The solutions obtained for the steady states are found to be stable to such perturbations for a range of Taylor numbers 40% beyond the critical value.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge Philosophical Society 1970

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

(1)Taylor, G. I.Stability of a viscous liquid contained between two coaxial cylinders. Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. London, Ser. A 223 (1923), 289343.Google Scholar
(2)Schwarz, K. W., Springett, B. E. and Donnelly, R. J.Modes of instability in spiral flow between rotating cylinders. J. Fluid Mech. 20 (1964), 281289.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(3)Snyder, H. A. and Lambert, R. B.Harmonic generation in Taylor vortices between rotating cylinders. J. Fluid Mech. 26 (1966), 545562.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(4)Snyder, H. A. Wavenumber selection at finite amplitude in rotating Couette flow. J. Fluid Mech. (to be published).Google Scholar
(5)Chandrasekhar, S.Hydrodynamic and hydromagnetic stability (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1961).Google Scholar
(6)Stuart, J. T.Nonlinear effects in hydrodynamic stability. Proc. Tenth Int. Cong. Applied Mech., Stresa, 63 (Elsevier, 1960).Google Scholar
(7)Davey, A.The growth of Taylor vortices in flow between rotating cylinders. J. Fluid Mech. 14 (1962), 336368.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(8)Stuart, J. T.On the non-linear mechanics of hydrodynamic stability. J. Fluid Mech. 4 (1958), 121.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(9)Stuart, J. T.On the non-linear mechanics of wave disturbances in stable and unstable parallel flow. Part 1. The basic behaviour in plane Poiseuille flow. J. Fluid Mech. 9 (1960), 353370.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(10)Watson, J.On the non-linear mechanics of wave disturbances in stable and unstable parallel flow. Part 2. The development of a solution for plane Poiseuille flow and for plane Couette flow. J. Fluid Mech. 9 (1960), 371389.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(11)Roberts, P. H. On non-linear Benard convection. Non-equilibrium thermodynamics variational techniques and stability. Proceedings of a symposium at the University of Chicago. Edited by Donnelly, R. J., Hermon, R. and Prigogine, I.. (Chicago, University of Chicago Press), pp. 125127.Google Scholar
(12)Donnelly, R. J. and Schwarz, K. W.Experiments on the stability of viscous flow between rotating cylinders. VI. Finite amplitude experiments. Proc. Roy. Soc. London, Ser. A 286 (1965), 531556.Google Scholar
(13)Wright, K.Chebyshev collocation method for ordinary differential equations. Comp. J. 6 (1964), 358365.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(14)Donnelly, R. J. and Simon, N. J.Supercritical flow between rotating cylinders. J. Fluid Mech. 7 (1960), 401418.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(15)Davey, A., Di Prima, R. C. and Stuart, J. T.On the instability of Taylor vortices. J. Fluid Mech. 31 part 1 (1968), 1752.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(16)Ince, E. L.Ordinary differential equations (Dover, 1956).Google Scholar