Kelvin–Helmholtz instability with a free surface

The well-posedness of the hydrostatic equations is linked to long wave stability criteria for parallel shear flows. We revisit the Kelvin--Helmholtz instability with a free surface. In the wall-bounded case, the flow is unstable to all wave lengths. Short wave instabilities are localized and independent of boundary conditions. On the other hand, long waves are shown to be stable if the upper boundary is a free surface and gravity is sufficiently small. We also consider smooth velocity profiles of the base flow rather than a velocity jump. We show that stability of long waves for small gravity generally holds for monotone profiles U(y). On the other hand, this need not be the case if U is not monotone.     

On Howard’s conjecture in heterogeneous shear flow problem

Howard’s conjecture, which states that in the linear instability problem of inviscid heterogeneous parallel shear flow growth rate of an arbitrary unstable wave must approach zero as the wave length decreases to zero, is established in a mathematically rigorous fashion for plane parallel heterogeneous shear flows with negligible buoyancy forcegΒ ≪ 1 (Miles J W,J. Fluid Mech. 10 (1961) 496–508), where Β is the basic heterogeneity distribution function). An erratum to this article is available at .     

A proof of Howard’s conjecture in homogeneous parallel shear flows

A rigorous mathematical proof of Howard's conjecture which states that the growth rate of an arbitrary unstable wave must approach zero, as the wave length decreases to zero, in the linear instability of nonviscous homogeneous parallel shear flows, is presented here for the first time under the restriction of the boundedness of the second derivative of the basic velocity field with respect to the vertical coordinate in the concerned flow domain.     

An eigenvalue search method using the Orr–Sommerfeld equation for shear flow

A physically-based computational technique was investigated which is intended to estimate an initial guess for complex values of the wavenumber of a disturbance leading to the solution of the fourth-order Orr–Sommerfeld (O–S) equation. The complex wavenumbers, or eigenvalues, were associated with the stability characteristics of a semi-infinite shear flow represented by a hyperbolic-tangent function. This study was devoted to the examination of unstable flow assuming a spatially growing disturbance and is predicated on the fact that flow instability is correlated with elevated levels of perturbation kinetic energy per unit mass. A MATLAB computer program was developed such that the computational domain was selected to be in quadrant IV, where the real part of the wavenumber is positive and the imaginary part is negative to establish the conditions for unstable flow. For a given Reynolds number and disturbance wave speed, the perturbation kinetic energy per unit mass was computed at various node points in the selected subdomain of the complex plane. The initial guess for the complex wavenumber to start the solution process was assumed to be associated with the highest calculated perturbation kinetic energy per unit mass. Once the initial guess had been approximated, it was used to obtain the solution to the O–S equation by performing a Runge–Kutta integration scheme that computationally marched from the far field region in the shear layer down to the lower solid boundary. Results compared favorably with the stability characteristics obtained from an earlier study for semi-infinite Blasius flow over a flat boundary.     

On Stratified Shear Flow in Sea Straits of Arbitrary Cross Section

Equations and theorems governing the flow of an inviscid, incompressible, continuously-stratified fluid in a gradually varying channel with an arbitrary cross section are developed. The stratification and longitudinal velocity are assumed to be uniform in the transverse direction, an assumption that is supported under the assumption of gradual topographic variations. Extended forms of Long's model and the Taylor–Goldstein equation are developed. Interestingly, the presence of topographic variation does not alter the necessary condition for instability (Richardson number     ) nor the bounds on unstable eigenvalues (the semi-circle theorem). The former can be proved using a new technique introduced herein. For the special case of homogeneous shear flow, generalized versions of the theorems of Rayleigh and Fjørtoft do depend on the form of the topography, though no general tendency toward stabilization or destabilization is apparent. Previous results on the bounds and enumeration of neutral modes are also extended. The results should be of use in the hydraulic interpretation of exchange flow in sea straits.     

Instability of Three Dimensional Waves in Shear Flows

The instability of a shear flow is greatly affected by the presence of one or more preexisting waves. This problem is considered for an oblique wave on a parallel shear flow with a free surface. The analysis uses a mean flow first harmonic theory.     

Long-wavelength thermal convection in a weak shear flow

The problem of thermal convection in an imposed shear flow isexamined for a horizontal layer of fluid between poorly conductingboundaries. The horizontal scale H of the convective motionnear its onset is much greater than the depth h of the fluidlayer, with h/H being proportional to the one-fourth power ofa Biot number appearing in the condition applied to the temperatureat the horizontal boundaries. It is known that an asymptoticexpansion in powers of h/H yields a nonlinear long-wavelengthevolution equation for the depth-averaged temperature fieldthat is spatially isotropic in the absence of an imposed shearflow, but is strongly anisotropic for ‘strong’ shear.We derive in this paper a nonlocal long-wavelength equationthat bridges these two cases, and that contains each case inthe zero-shear and large-shear limits. Using this evolutionequation, we show how the shear flow stabilizes the longitudinalrolls to the zigzag instability, and how a preference for asquare planfonn on a periodic square lattice gives way to apreference for longitudinal rolls near onset. The longitudinalrolls may then become unstable as the Rayleigh number is increased.The analytical work is illustrated by some numerical simulationsof the full three-dimensional Boussinesq Navier-Stokes equations.The problem of pattern selection on a hexagonal lattice is alsodiscussed, and some new results are presented.     

Influence of Thermal Stratification on the Stability of Ekman-Couette-Flow

The Ekman-Couette-System consists of two infinitely extended plates which are sheared in opposite directions over a fluid and are additionally rotated about their normal axis. In the case of angular velocities which tend to zero, the system becomes the classical Couette-System, whereas for high angular velocities the boundary layers of the upper and lower plate are separated and represent Ekman boundary layers. For both limit cases the influence of thermal stratification on the stability of the base flow has been a subject of research for some time, but not so for moderate angular velocities. This was the motivation for doing a linear stability analysis for that case, including both stable and unstable stratification for a Prandtl number equal to unity. The results show, that as expected, stable stratification is suppressing the emergence of stationary as well as Type I- and Type II-shear-instabilities, while unstable stratification is supporting them. For unstable stratification, the system can also become unstable to a convection instability with all its properties known from other systems, except for that their orientation angle is not coincidental but determined due to the influence of the shear and Coriolis forces. (© 2011 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Instability of power-law fluid flows down an incline subjected to wind stress

In this paper we investigate the effect of a prescribed superficial shear stress on the generation and structure of roll waves developing from infinitesimal disturbances on the surface of a power-law fluid layer flowing down an incline. The unsteady equations of motion are depth integrated according to the von Kármán momentum integral method to obtain a non-homogeneous system of nonlinear hyperbolic conservation laws governing the average flow rate and the thickness of the fluid layer. By conducting a linear stability analysis we obtain an analytical formula for the critical conditions for the onset of instability of a uniform and steady flow in terms of the prescribed surface shear stress. A nonlinear analysis is performed by numerically calculating the nonlinear evolution of a perturbed flow. The calculation is carried out using a high-resolution finite volume scheme. The source term is handled by implementing the quasi-steady wave propagation algorithm. Conclusions are drawn regarding the effect of the applied surface shear stress parameter and flow conditions on the development and characteristics of the roll waves arising from the instability. For a Newtonian flow subjected to a prescribed superficial shear stress, using an analytical theory, we show that the nonlinear governing equations do not admit roll waves solutions under conditions when the uniform and steady flow is linearly stable. For the case of a general power-law fluid flow with zero shear stress applied at the surface, the analytical investigation leads to a procedure for calculating the characteristics of a roll waves flow. These results are compared with those yielded by the numerical procedure.     

Multicritical phenomena in flow of viscoelastic liquids. 1. Zaremba-Fromm-De Witt liquid

It has been shown that multicritical phenomena caused by nonlinearity of viscosity and high elasticity, and forced anisotropy at finite shear rates take place during flow of viscoelastic polymer melts which are isotropic in the resting state. The sign of the low-frequency asymptotic values of the dynamic viscosity and elasticity measured during steady flow is a criterion of the appearance of instability. These arguments are illustrated by the solution and analysis of the complex reaction to low-amplitude, periodic shear of a steady-flowing, very simple viscoelastic liquid — ZFD liquid. It was shown that the instability of viscoelastic liquids for a given steady shear rate is due to the effect of perturbations lasting for no less than some limiting value and its manifestations are caused by superposition of different types of instability — multicritical phenomena.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 31, No. 4, pp. 555–572, July–August, 1995.The study was conducted based on Topic 93,177 of the Latvian Science Council.     

Absolute and Convective Instabilities of Semi-bounded Spatially Developing Flows

We analyse the absolute and convective instabilities of, and spatially amplifying waves in, semi-bounded spatially developing flows and media by applying the Laplace transform in time to the corresponding initial-value linear stability problem and treating the resulting boundary-value problem on ?⁺ for a vector equation as a dynamical system. The analysis is an extension of our recently developed linear stability theory for spatially developing open flows and media with algebraically decaying tails and for fronts to flows in a semi-infinite domain. We derive the global normal-mode dispersion relations for different domains of frequency and treat absolute instability, convectively unstable wave packets and signalling. It is shown that when the limit state at infinity, i.e. the associated uniform state, is stable, the inhomogeneous flow is either stable or absolutely unstable. The inhomogeneous flow is absolutely stable but convectively unstable if and only if the flow is globally stable and the associated uniform state is convectively unstable. In such a case signalling in the inhomogeneous flow is identical with signalling in the associated uniform state.     

Study of spectral characteristics of a homogeneous turbulent flow

A spectral representation of kinetic energy for a vortex cascade of instability in a compressible inviscid shear flow is considered, and the Rayleigh-Taylor instability is studied. A comparative analysis is given to the spectral decompositions of kinetic energy for both problems. The classical Kolmogorov −5/3 power law is proved to hold for developed turbulent flows.     

Subcritical Rossby Waves in Zonal Shear Flows with Nonlinear Critical Layers

It was shown by Benney and Bergeron [ 1 ] that singular neutral modes with nonlinear critical layers are mathematically possible in a variety of shear flows. These are usually subcritical modes; i.e., they occur at values of the flow parameters where their linear, viscous counterparts would be damped. One question raised then is how such modes might be generated.
This article treats the problem of Rossby waves propagating in a mixing layer with velocity profile ū = tanh y . The beta parameter, which is a measure of the stabilizing Coriolis force, is taken to be large enough so that linear instability cannot occur. First, computed dispersion curves are presented for singular modes with nonlinear critical layers. Then, full numerical simulations are employed to illustrate how these modes can be generated by resonant interaction with conventional nonsingular Rossby waves, even when the singular mode is absent initially.     

Stability of an Elastic Tube Conveying a Non-Newtonian Fluid and Having a Locally Weakened Section

The work is devoted to the stability analysis of the flow of a non-Newtonian powerlaw fluid in an elastic tube. Integrating the equations of motion over the cross section, we obtain a one-dimensional equation that describes long-wave low-frequency motions of the system in which the rheology of the flowing fluid is taken into account. In the first part of the paper, we find a stability criterion for an infinite uniform tube and an absolute instability criterion. We show that instability under which the axial symmetry of motion of the tube is preserved is possible only for a power-law index of n < 0.611, and absolute instability is possible only for n < 1/3; thus, after the loss of stability of a linear viscous medium, the flow cannot preserve the axial symmetry, which agrees with the available results. In the second part of the paper, applying the WKB method, we analyze the stability of a tube whose stiffness varies slowly in space in such a way that there is a “weakened” region of finite length in which the “fluid–tube” system is locally unstable. We prove that the tube is globally unstable if the local instability is absolute; otherwise, the local instability is suppressed by the surrounding locally stable regions. Solving numerically the eigenvalue problem, we demonstrate the high accuracy of the result obtained by the WKB method even for a sufficiently fast variation of stiffness along the tube axis.     

Stability of a deflagration front in compressible media

A two-dimensional linear analysis of the planar flame front stability for a compressible fluid is presented. The analysis shows that there are two types of perturbations. The first type, corresponding to waves in incompressible media, has already been studied by Landau. It predicts absolute instability of the flame front. The second type of perturbations is due to fluid compressibility and the dependence on upstream flow parameters of the flame front velocity. Three different regimes for these perturbations are possible: stable, acoustically unstable, and absolutely unstable. The instability results in a pronounced pressure wave generation.A one-dimensional analysis of the interaction of the flame front with flow boundaries is performed. Under some circumstances, this interaction is shown to cause exponential growth of the perturbations.     

广义Phillips模式非线性不稳定的饱和问题(Ⅱ)——扰动能量及位涡拟能的下界估计

在Arnol'd第二定理的范围内进一步讨论广义Phillips模式非线性不稳定的饱和问题,得到了基流不稳定时扰动能量及位涡拟能的下界估计。     

低Reynolds数下双层液膜的空间-时间不稳定性研究

分析了黏性分层双液体薄膜在空间-时间发展扰动下不稳定的触发状况．已有的研究结果给出了在零Reynolds数极限情况下,流动在时间发展模式下不稳定的论断,而这里的空间-时间发展理论却表明,在同一极限下,液膜的流动其实是中性稳定的．该文分析了这种差异及造成差异的原因．通过对能量方程的研究还找到了一种在时间发展模式下没有发现的新不稳定机制,并将这种机制与扰动对流现象的非Galilei不变性相关联．     

Hybrid Simulation of Space Plasmas: Models with Massless Fluid Representation of Electrons. IV. Kelvin–Helmholtz Instability

This is a survey of the literature on hybrid simulation of the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability. We start with a brief review of the theory: the simplest model of the instability—a transition layer in the form of a tangential discontinuity; compressibility of the medium; finite size of the velocity shear region; pressure anisotropy. We then describe the electromagnetic hybrid model (ions as particles and electrons as a massless fluid) and the main numerical schemes. We review the studies on two-dimensional and three-dimensional hybrid simulation of the process of particle mixing across the magnetopause shear layer driven by the onset of a Kelvin–Helmholtz instability. The article concludes with a survey of literature on hybrid simulation of the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability in finite-size objects: jets moving across the magnetic field in the middle of the field reversal layer; interaction between a magnetized plasma flow and a cylindrical plasma source with zero own magnetic field.     

经过修正的层流流动的流动稳定性问题(Ⅰ)——基本概念和理论

本文提出了经过修正的层流流动的流动稳定性理论,并在文中给出平行剪切流中平均速度的一类修正剖面,使这种理论可用于研究平行剪切流的流动稳定性,指出了流动失稳的一条新的可能途径.     

Spatial Instability Of Two-Phase Mixing Layers

The initial stage of liquid atomization by a fast gas stream is considered by means of spatial stability analysis of two–phase shear layers. We solve the viscous linear stability problem for parallel flow modelled by error–function profiles. The unstable modes known from temporal theory are recovered in the convectively unstable case for fluid properties close to the air/water system. The most unstable wavelength depends only weakly on the absolute velocity relative to the laboratory system. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)