Espaces d'écoulements dits « universels », 3

Universal motions with uniform steady vorticity form a corolla of linear spaces derived from rigid body motions. Closely related to potential flows, they satisfy two extensions of Lagrange theorem, are investigated with the help of complex functions, as stand celebrated when be plane. They take place in hydrodynamics, aerodynamics, geophysics, astrophysics, turbulence, physics of plasmas and superfluid helium. In all the cases, arbitrary unsteady span-wise translations permit to generalise as well as to exhibit helical or 3D universal motions. Three misunderstood periodic flows illustrate our purpose, as they approach shear instabilities in numerous fluids. To cite this article: M. Bouthier, C. R. Mecanique 332 (2004).