| Abstract: | Laminar flow in a channel rotating about a transverse axis has been studied numerically 1–3] and analytically 4–7] at small Reynolds numbers. The drag coefficient of rotating channels with straight and curvilinear axes has been measured 4, 8, 9]. The present paper gives the results of an experimental investigation into the kinematics of water flow in a channel rotating with different intensities. The flow was visualized by means of hydrogen bubbles and a dye. A study was made of the process of flow separation in a rapidly rotating channel into a core with homogeneous velocity distribution in the direction parallel to the rotation axis and thin shear layers on the walls normal to this axis. The values of the dimensionless numbers were found that correspond to flow rearrangement accompanied by formation of longitudinally oriented vortex structures in the region of higher pressure, and also the values of the rotation parameter needed for the almost complete suppression of turbulence in the region of lower pressure. A general analysis is made of the forms of instability in the different regions of the flow and of the possible flow regimes in a rotating channel. |
