This work aims to improve our understanding of the turbulent energy dissipation rate in the wake of a circular cylinder. Ten of the twelve velocity derivative terms which make up the energy dissipation rate are simultaneously obtained with a probe composed of four X-wires. Measurements are made in the plane of mean shear at $x/d=10$, 20 and 40, where $x$ is the streamwise distance from the cylinder axis and $d$ is the cylinder diameter, at a Reynolds number of $2.5\times 10^{3}$ based on $d$ and free-stream velocity. Both statistical and topological features of the velocity derivatives as well as the energy dissipation rate, approximated by a surrogate based on the assumption of homogeneity in the transverse plane, are examined. The spectra of the velocity derivatives indicate that local axisymmetry is first satisfied at higher wavenumbers while the departure at lower wavenumbers is caused by the Kármán vortex street. The spectral method proposed by Djenidi & Antonia (Exp. Fluids, vol. 53, 2012, pp. 1005–1013) based on the universality of the dissipation range of the longitudinal velocity spectrum normalized by the Kolmogorov scales also applies in the present flow despite the strong perturbation from the Kármán vortex street and violation of local isotropy at small $x/d$. The appropriateness of the spectral chart method is consistent with Antonia et al.’s (Phys. Fluids, vol. 26, 2014, 45105) observation that the two major assumptions in Kolmogorov’s first similarity hypothesis, i.e. very large Taylor microscale Reynolds number and local isotropy, can be significantly relaxed. The data also indicate that vorticity spectra are more sensitive, when testing the first similarity hypothesis, than velocity spectra. They also reveal that the velocity derivatives $\unicode[STIX]{x2202}u/\unicode[STIX]{x2202}y$ and $\unicode[STIX]{x2202}v/\unicode[STIX]{x2202}x$ play an important role in the interaction between large and small scales in the present flow. The phase-averaged data indicate that the energy dissipation is concentrated mostly within the coherent spanwise vortex rollers, in contrast with the model of Hussain (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 173, 1986, pp. 303–356) and Hussain & Hayakawa (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 180, 1987, p. 193), who conjectured that it resides mainly in regions of strong turbulent mixing.

The Benjamin & Feir sideband instability of gravity waves over a rigid bed is extended here to the case of wave propagation over a compliant bed. The bed is assumed elastic with inhomogeneous properties, following some vertical stratification profile. The elastic stiffness at the mudline is assumed very small, as is typically the case for upper-stratum gel-like marine mud, so that its effect is assumed comparable in magnitude with that of wave nonlinearity. It is then shown that through the sideband instability, the carrier gravity wave would lose energy to sideband oscillations. These sidebands will be shown to be contaminated with small-amplitude, but very short elastic shear waves. These shear waves will interact with the viscous boundary layer at the bed-water interface, and thus significantly enhance the viscous damping of wave energy in the boundary layer.

The convective behaviour of xenon gas in a vertical thermally conducting cylinder (height/radius = 6) heated from below was investigated. Convectively induced temperature fluctuations in the gas were analysed with digital signal-processing techniques over a range of Rayleigh number 0 ≤ Ra [lsim ] 2300. Quiescent, steady-state, periodic and weakly turbulent convective regimes were characterized. Bistability of steady states (mode switching) was observed in the range 400 [lsim ] Ra [lsim ] 700. At Ra = 1550 a strictly periodic flow developed. With increasing Ra two additional incommensurate frequencies appeared, leading to ‘turbulence’ at Ra ≈ 2000. This turbulence, characterized by a broadband power spectrum, intermittently showed periodic flow. A periodic window with a period-doubling sequence appeared between 2100 [lsim ] Ra [lsim ] 2200. The spectral features of this sequence can be followed into the broad band noise at higher Ra. Although these experiments were conducted quasistatically, a strong hysteresis was observed with decreasing Ra. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the sequence of convective regimes can be fundamentally altered by minor perturbations (self-heating) from the flow sensors.

Simplified proofs are given of the eight basic conservation laws for two-dimensional irrotational flow of a perfect fluid. The corresponding relations for rotational flow are also discussed.

Vorticity waves are wave-like motions occurring in various types of shear flows. We study the dynamics of these motions in alongshore shear currents in situations where it can be described within weakly nonlinear asymptotic theory. The principal mechanism of vorticity waves can be interpreted as potential vorticity conservation with the background vorticity gradient provided both by the mean current shear and the variation of depth. Under the assumption that the mean potential vorticity distibution is monotonic in the cross-shore direction, the nonlinear stage of the dynamics of weakly nonlinear vorticity waves, long in comparison with the current cross-shore scale, is found to be governed by an evolution equation of the generalized Benjamin–Ono type. The dispersive terms are given by an integro-differential operator with the kernel determined by the large-scale cross-shore depth and current dependence. The derived equations form a wide new class of nonlinear evolution equations. They all tend to the Benjamin–Ono equation in the short-wave limit, while in the long-wave limit their asymptotics depend on the specific form of the depth and current profiles. For a particular family of model bottom profiles the equations are ‘intermediate’ between Benjamin–Ono and Korteweg–de Vries equations, but are distinct from the Joseph intermediate equation. Solitary-wave solutions to the equations for these depth profiles are found to decay exponentially. Taking into account coastline inhomogeneity or/and alongshore depth variations adds a linear forcing term to the evolution equation, thus providing an effective generation mechanism for vorticity waves.

In this paper, an extension of Miyazaki & Hasimoto's (1984) Green function for the slow flow created by a point force of arbitrary direction above an infinite plane wall with a circular hole was used to formulate a set of boundary-integral equations for the motion, at low Reynolds and Stokes numbers, of a finite rigid sphere in a simple shear flow with suction past an infinite wall containing a circular side hole. The equations were solved numerically by discretizing the surface of the sphere into a finite number of elements and then using a constant-density approximation for the unknown surface force distribution and a boundary collocation technique to satisfy the no-slip boundary condition at the centre of each element. Numerical tests and comparisons with available exact and numerical results show that convergence to three or four significant figures can be achieved for all the 21 independent unknown force and torque coefficients. Numerical values for these coefficients were obtained throughout the flow field for sphere–hole radii ratios of $\frac{1}{10}, \frac{1}{4}, \frac{1}{2}, \frac{3}{4}$ and 1, and the neutrally buoyant velocities and trajectories of individuals spheres were then computed for a range of initial upstream positions, and for various values of a suction parameter defined in Yan et al. (1991 a) which refers to the relative strengths of the suction and shear flows. In turn, these trajectories were used to map out the particle capture tube and its upstream cross-section and thereby determine the particle screening effect, one of the underlying mechanisms responsible for the well-known exit concentration defect observed when particles enter a side pore. The other mechanism, the fluid skimming effect due to the presence of a particle-free layer on the upstream wall, was considered recently in a companion paper (Yan et al. 1991 a). It is shown here that the fluid skimming effect provides a lower bound for this concentration defect under the conditions of this analysis. The theoretical predictions exhibit features that are qualitatively similar to the experimental observations of the hematocrit (red cell) defect in the microcirculation, although the dilute suspension limit considered herein is well below the observed hematocrit in the microcirculation and the particles are modelled as rigid spheres.

The flow of a viscous incompressible electrically conducting fluid past a sphere is studied; the uniform ambient flow field is colinear with the ambient uniform magnetic field. The force exerted on the sphere is computed for various conductivities and Reynolds numbers; of particular interest is the distinction in behaviour between the flow with ambient particle speed greater than ambient Alfvén speed and that with particle speed less than Alfvén speed.

What is the turbulent drag force experienced by an object moving in a rotating fluid? This open and fundamental question can be addressed by measuring the torque needed to drive an impeller at a constant angular velocity ${\it\omega}$ in a water tank mounted on a platform rotating at a rate ${\it\Omega}$. We report a dramatic reduction in drag as ${\it\Omega}$ increases, down to values as low as 12 % of the non-rotating drag. At small Rossby number $Ro={\it\omega}/{\it\Omega}$, the decrease in the drag coefficient $K$ follows the approximate scaling law $K\sim Ro$, which is predicted in the framework of nonlinear inertial-wave interactions and weak-turbulence theory. However, stereoscopic particle image velocimetry measurements indicate that this drag reduction instead originates from a weakening of the turbulence intensity in line with the two-dimensionalization of the large-scale flow.

The propagation of a one-dimensional combustion wave into a non-ionized gas at rest in the presence of an electromagnetic field is considered when ionization of the gas occurs across either the combustion wave or a preceding shock wave. The electric and magnetic fields in the undisturbed gas ahead of the waves are mutually perpendicular and orthogonal to the direction of wave propagation. It is shown that steady detonation occurs at a point which is analogous to the Chapman-Jouguet point of ordinary gasdynamic combustion theory. Numerical calculations are made of the state of the gas between and behind the waves in two particlar models, in both of which the upstream electric field is zero. The models are then equivalent to magnetogasdynamic phenomena in a perfectly conducting gas. First, the case of steady detonation is studied. Secondly, steady deflagration in a tube, closed at one end, is discussed.

The present work investigates local flow structures and the downstream evolution of the core of helical tip vortices generated by a three-bladed rotor. Earlier experimental studies have shown that the core of a helical tip vortex exhibits a local helical symmetry with a simple relation between the axial and azimuthal velocities. In the present study, a self-similarity scaling argument further describes the downstream development of the vortex core. Self-similarity has up to now only been investigated for longitudinal vortices and it is the first time that helical vortices have become the subject of such an analysis. Combining symmetry arguments from previous studies on helical vortices with novel experiments and knowledge regarding the self-similarity evolution of the core of longitudinal vortices, a new model describing what is referred to as ‘helical self-similarity’ is proposed. The generality of the model is verified and supported by experimental data. The proposed model is important for fundamental understanding of the behaviour of helical vortices, with a range of applications in both industry and nature. Examples of this are tip vortices behind aerodynamic devices, such as vortex generators, and fixed and rotary aircraft, and in combustion chambers and cyclone separators.

Several recent studies have demonstrated how large-scale vortices may arise spontaneously in rotating planar convection. Here, we examine the dynamo properties of such flows in rotating Boussinesq convection. For moderate values of the magnetic Reynolds number ($100\lesssim Rm\lesssim 550$, with $Rm$ based on the box depth and the convective velocity), a large-scale (i.e. system-size) magnetic field is generated. The amplitude of the magnetic energy oscillates in time, nearly out of phase with the oscillating amplitude of the large-scale vortex. The large-scale vortex is disrupted once the magnetic field reaches a critical strength, showing that these oscillations are of magnetic origin. The dynamo mechanism relies on those components of the flow that have length scales lying between that of the large-scale vortex and the typical convective cell size; smaller-scale flows are not required. The large-scale vortex plays a crucial role in the magnetic induction despite being essentially two-dimensional; we thus refer to this dynamo as a large-scale-vortex dynamo. For larger magnetic Reynolds numbers, the dynamo is small scale, with a magnetic energy spectrum that peaks at the scale of the convective cells. In this case, the small-scale magnetic field continuously suppresses the large-scale vortex by disrupting the correlations between the convective velocities that allow it to form. The suppression of the large-scale vortex at high $Rm$ therefore probably limits the relevance of the large-scale-vortex dynamo to astrophysical objects with moderate values of $Rm$, such as planets. In this context, the ability of the large-scale-vortex dynamo to operate at low magnetic Prandtl numbers is of great interest.

Planar Rayleigh scattering provides quantitative mixing measurements in the developing region of axisymmetric turbulent helium jets issuing into air. The measurements focus on the relatively near field, in which the jets are primarily momentum driven. The imaging parameters are specified to ensure high spatial resolution. The mean jet fluid concentration fields attain self-similarity within the measurement region, though the forms of the mole fraction profiles indicate a reduction in turbulent transport at the jet outer boundary, arising from the reduced jet fluid density. Nevertheless, jet-like scaling pertains for the concentration fields. Mass fraction fluctuations on the jet centreline attain the expected asymptotic value of ≈23% of the centreline mass fraction values. The scalar dissipation rates, however, show an axial decay rate that is slower than theoretical predictions. The two-dimensional extent of the measurements also allows spatial filtering similar to that inherent in large-eddy simulations (LESs). The results confirm that fluctuation levels and scalar dissipation rates determined for the filtered fields are reduced as the effective resolution is reduced, but while the fluctuation profiles for the filtered fields are similar for the different filter sizes, the forms of the scalar dissipation profiles are highly dependent on filter size. These latter results in particular are of a form that will be useful for grid-dependent assessments of LES results.

Clustering (or preferential concentration) of weakly inertial particles suspended in a homogeneous isotropic turbulent flow is driven primarily by the smallest eddies at the so-called Kolmogorov scale. In particle-laden large-eddy simulations (LES), these small scales are not resolved by the grid and hence their effect on both the resolved flow scales and the particle motion have to be modelled. In order to predict clustering in a particle-laden LES, it is crucial that the subgrid model for the particles captures the mechanism by which the subgrid scales affect the particle motion (Ray & Collins, J. Fluid Mech., vol. 680, 2011, pp. 488–510). In this paper, we describe novel satellite particle simulations (SPS), in which we study the clustering and relative velocity statistics of inertial particles at separation distances well below the Kolmogorov length scale. SPS is designed to isolate pairwise interactions of particles, and is therefore well suited for developing two-particle models. We show that the power-law dependence of the radial distribution function (RDF), a statistical measure of clustering, is predicted by the SPS in excellent agreement with direct numerical simulations (DNS) for Stokes numbers up to 3, implying that no explicit information from the inertial range is required to accurately describe particle clustering. This result further explains our successful prediction of the RDF power using the drift-diffusion model of Chun et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 536, 2005, pp. 219–251) for $\mathit{St}\leq 0. 4$. We also consider the second-order longitudinal relative velocity structure function for the particles; we show that the SPS is able to capture its power-law exponent for $\mathit{St}\leq 0. 5$ and attribute the disagreement at larger $\mathit{St}$ to the effect of the larger scales of motion not captured by the SPS. Further, the SPS is able to capture the ‘caustic activation’ of the structure function at zero separation and predict the critical $\mathit{St}$ and rate of activation in agreement with the DNS (Salazar & Collins, J. Fluid. Mech., vol. 696, 2012, pp. 45–66). We show comparisons between filtered DNS and equivalently filtered SPS, and the findings are similar to the unfiltered case. Overall, SPS is an efficient and accurate computational tool for investigating particle pair dynamics at small separations, as well as an interesting platform for developing LES subgrid models designed to accurately reproduce particle clustering.

The anisotropy of small-scale temperature fluctuations in shear flows is analysed by making measurements in high-Reynolds-number atmospheric surface layers. A spherical harmonics representation of the moments of scalar increments is proposed, such that the isotropic part corresponds to the index j = 0 and increasing degrees of anisotropy correspond to increasing j. The parity and angular dependence of the odd moments of the scalar increments show that the moments cannot contain any isotropic part (j = 0), but can be satisfactorily represented by the lowest-order anisotropic term corresponding to j = 1. Thus, the skewnesses of scalar increments (and derivatives) are inherently anisotropic quantities, and are not suitable indicators of the tendency towards isotropy.

We derive a non-dimensional metric to quantify the expected Lagrangian persistence of objectively defined Eulerian vortices in two-dimensional unsteady flows. This persistence metric is the averaged deviation of the vorticity from its spatial mean over the Eulerian vortex, normalized by the instantaneous material leakage from the Eulerian vortex. The metric offers a model- and frame-independent tool for uncovering the instantaneous Eulerian signature of long-lived Lagrangian vortices. Using satellite-derived ocean velocity data, we show that Lagrangian vortex-persistence predictions by our metric significantly outperform those inferred from other customary Eulerian diagnostics, such as the potential vorticity gradient and the Okubo–Weiss criterion.

We report on direct numerical simulations to examine the spectral behaviour of turbulence close to and at a flat, stress-free surface. We find, consistent with field measurements near such a free surface, that an inertial-range type of behaviour is obtained for the horizontal components of the velocity at and near the stress-free surface, at horizontal wavelengths for which the vertical velocity is much smaller than the horizontal components. At approximately an integral length scale from the stress-free surface, the flow has adjusted back to more classical isotropic turbulence. The behaviour of the turbulence near the stress-free surface is similar to that observed recently for strongly stratified flows, and we argue that the causes of that behaviour are the same in both flows: the suppression of the large-scale vertical velocity and the allowance of strong vertical shearing of the horizontal velocity leading to a downscale transfer of energy and to the development of the $-5/3$ spectra for the horizontal velocities.