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An experimental and computational study of the post-collisional flow induced by an impulsively rotated sphere
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 October 2019
Abstract
The unsteady flow due to a sphere, immersed in a quiescent fluid, and suddenly rotated, is a paradigm for the development of unsteady boundary layers and their collision. Such a collision arises when the boundary layers on the surface of the sphere are advected towards the equator, where they collide, serving to generate a radial jet. We present the first particle image velocimetry measurements of this collision process, the resulting starting vortex and development of the radial jet. Coupled with new computations, we demonstrate that the post-collision steady flow detaches smoothly from the sphere’s surface, in qualitative agreement with the analysis of Stewartson (Grenzschichtforschung/Boundary Layer Research (ed. H. Görtler), Springer, 1958, pp. 60–70), with no evidence of a recirculation zone, contrary to the conjectured structure of Smith & Duck (Q. J. Mech. Appl. Maths, vol. 20, 1977, pp. 143–156).
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- JFM Papers
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- © 2019 Cambridge University Press
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Formerly affiliated with Department of Engineering Science, University of Auckland, New Zealand.
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