A theoretical study of plane Poiseuille flow is made using the full non-linear Navier-Stokes equations. The mathematical technique employed is to use a Fourier decomposition in the streamwise spatial variable, a Galerkin expansion in the lateral variable and numerical integration with respect to time. By retaining the non-linear terms, the limit cycle oscillations of an unstable (in a linear sense) flow are obtained. A brief investigation of the possibility of instability due to large (non-linear) disturbances is also made. The results are negative for the cases examined. Comparisons with results previously obtained by others from linear theory illustrate the accuracy and efficacy of the method.

The prototype linear spin-up problem consisting of a homogeneous viscous electrically conducting fluid confined between two infinite flat rotating electrically conducting plates in the presence of an applied axial magnetic field is studied in an effort to understand better the strength and nature of the coupling between a fluid and its rotating conducting container. It is assumed that the response time of the bounding plates to a magnetic perturbation is much less than the fluid spin-up time and that the plate conductivity is an arbitrary function of distance from the fluid-plate interface. The general Laplace transform solution is inverted and discussed for three special cases: magnetic diffusion regions thick compared with fluid depth during spin-up, arbitrary magnetic field strength and boundary conductance; magnetic diffusion regions thin, weak conductance, arbitrary field; magnetic diffusion regions thin, strong conductance, arbitrary field. In each case conductance of the boundary strengthens the coupling between fluid and boundary, thereby decreasing the spin-up time. The corresponding single plate analysis of Loper (1970a) is found to predict spin-up accurately only if the boundary conductance is much smaller than that of the fluid. The fluid possesses an oscillatory mode of spin-up if the magnetic diffusion regions are thin and boundary conductance is large. That is, the inviscid current-free core of fluid rotates significantly faster than the boundaries during a portion of the spin-up process.

A methodology is proposed here to estimate the stability characteristics of bluff-body wakes using local analysis under the assumption of weakly non-parallel flows. In this connection, a generalisation of the classic spatio-temporal stability analysis for fully three-dimensional flows is first described. Secondly, an additional higher-order correction term with respect to the common saddle-point global frequency estimation is included in the analysis. The proposed method is first validated for the case of the flow past a circular cylinder and then applied to two fully three-dimensional flows: the boundary layer flow over a wall-mounted hemispherical body and the wake flow past a fixed sphere. In all the cases considered, both the estimated unstable eigenvalue and the spatial shape of the associated eigenmode are determined by local stability analysis, and they are compared with the reference counterparts obtained at a definitely higher computational cost by a fully three-dimensional global stability analysis. It is shown that the results of local stability analysis, when the higher-order correction term is included, are in excellent agreement with those obtained by global stability analysis. It is also shown that the retained correction term is of crucial importance in this perspective, leading to a remarkable improvement in accuracy with respect to the classical saddle-point estimation.

A study is made of the transient flow which results from the impingement of a plane shock on a blunt body. The analysis is based on Taylor-series expansions in the space and time variables of the flow properties and of the shape of the reflected shock. Coefficients of the series are determined numerically so as to satisfy the exact equations of motion and shock jump conditions. Convergence problems are ameliorated by recasting the series into continued fractions. While the analysis does not treat the transition from regular to Mach reflexion, it remains valid for all time in the subsonic region of the flow if the incident shock is sufficiently strong. In any case, it is accurate enough where it is valid to be useful for evaluation of more conventional numerical methods.

It was demonstrated recently that gas–liquid interfaces, which are usually almost perfect reflectors of acoustic waves, become anomalously transparent, and the power flux in the wave transmitted into the gas increases dramatically, when a compact sound source in the liquid approaches the interface within a fraction of the wavelength (Godin, Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 97, 2006b, 164301). Powerful underwater explosions and certain natural sources, such as underwater landslides, generate very low-frequency waves in water and air, for which fluid buoyancy and compressibility simultaneously serve as restoring forces. In this paper, analysis of sound transmission through gas–liquid interfaces is extended to acoustic-gravity waves (AGWs) and applied to the air–water interface. It is found that, as for sound, the interface becomes anomalously transparent for sufficiently shallow compact sources of AGWs. Depending on the source type, the increase of a wave power flux into gas due to diffraction effects can reach several orders of magnitude. The physical mechanisms responsible for the anomalous transparency are discussed. Excitation of an interface wave by a point source in the liquid is shown to be an important channel of AGW transmission into the gas, which has no counterpart in the case of sound.

The nonlinear perturbation response of two families of vortices, the Norbury family of axisymmetric vortex rings and the Pierrehumbert family of two-dimensional vortex pairs, is considered. Members of both families are subjected to prolate shape perturbations similar to those previously introduced to Hill’s spherical vortex, and their response is computed using contour dynamics algorithms. The response of the entire Norbury family to this class of perturbations is considered, in order to bridge the gap between past observations of the behaviour of thin-cored members of the family and that of Hill’s spherical vortex. The behaviour of the Norbury family is contrasted with the response of the analogous two-dimensional family of Pierrehumbert vortex pairs. It is found that the Norbury family exhibits a change in perturbation response as members of the family with progressively thicker cores are considered. Thin-cored vortices are found to undergo quasi-periodic deformations of the core shape, but detrain no circulation into their wake. In contrast, thicker-cored Norbury vortices are found to detrain excess rotational fluid into a trailing vortex tail. This behaviour is found to be in agreement with previous results for Hill’s spherical vortex, as well as with observations of pinch-off of experimentally generated vortex rings at long formation times. In contrast, the detrainment of circulation that is characteristic of pinch-off is not observed for Pierrehumbert vortex pairs of any core size. These observations are in agreement with recent studies that contrast the formation of vortices in two and three dimensions. We hypothesize that transitions in vortex formation, such as those occurring between wake shedding modes and in vortex pinch-off more generally, might be understood and possibly predicted based on the observed perturbation responses of forming vortex rings or dipoles.

We study advection–diffusion of a passive scalar, $T$, by an incompressible fluid in a closed vessel bounded by walls impermeable to the fluid. Variations in $T$ are produced by prescribing a steady non-uniform distribution of $T$ at the boundary. Because there is no flow through the walls, molecular diffusion, $\kappa$, is essential in ‘lifting’ $T$ off the boundary and into the interior where the velocity field acts to intensify $\bnabla T$. We prove that as $\kappa \to 0$ (with the fluid velocity fixed) this diffusive lifting is a feeble source of scalar variance. Consequently the scalar dissipation rate $\chi$ – the volume integral of $\kappa |\bnabla T|^2$ – vanishes in the limit $\kappa \to 0$. Thus, in this particular closed-flow configuration, it is not possible to maintain a constant supply of scalar variance as $\kappa\to 0$ and the fundamental premise of scaling theories for passive scalar cascades is violated.

We also obtain a weaker bound on $\chi$ when the transported field is a dynamically active scalar, such as temperature. This bound applies to the Rayleigh–Bénard configuration in which $T=\pm 1$ on two parallel plates at $z=\pm h/2$. In this case we show that $\chi \leq 3.252\times (\kappa \varepsilon/\nu h^2)^{1/3}$ where $\nu$ is the viscosity and $\varepsilon$ is the mechanical energy dissipation per unit mass. Thus, provided that $\varepsilon$ and $\nu/\kappa$ are non-zero in the limit $\kappa\rightarrow 0$, $\chi$ might remain non-zero.

Lattice-Boltzmann simulations of fluid flow through sheared assemblies of monodisperse spherical particles have been performed. The friction coefficient tensor extracted from these simulations is found to become progressively more anisotropic with increasing Péclet number, $Pe= \dot {\gamma } {d}^{2} / D$, where $\dot {\gamma } $ is the shear rate, $d$ is the particle diameter, and $D$ is the particle self-diffusivity. A model is presented for the anisotropic friction coefficient, and the model constants are related to changes in the particle microstructure. Linear stability analysis of the two-fluid model equations including the anisotropic drag force model developed in the present study reveals that the uniformly fluidized state of low Reynolds number suspensions is most unstable to mixed mode disturbances that take the form of vertically travelling waves having both vertical and transverse structures. As the Stokes number increases, the transverse-to-vertical wavenumber ratio decreases towards zero; i.e. the transverse structure becomes progressively less prominent. Fully nonlinear two-fluid model simulations of moderate to high Stokes number suspensions reveal that the anisotropic drag model leads to coarser gas–particle flow structures than the isotropic drag model.

Previous experimental studies have shown that the steady recirculation bubble that forms as the flow separates at the leading-edge corner of a long plate, becomes unsteady at relatively low Reynolds numbers of only a few hundreds. The reattaching shear layer irregularly releases two-dimensional vortices, which quickly undergo three-dimensional transition. Similar to the flow over a backward-facing step, this flow is globally stable at such Reynolds numbers, with transition to a steady three-dimensional flow as the first global instability to occur as the Reynolds number is increased to 393. Hence, it appears that the observed flow behaviour is governed by transient growth of optimal two-dimensional transiently growing perturbations (constructed from damped global modes) rather than a single three-dimensional unstable global mode. This paper quantifies the details of the transient growth of two- and three-dimensional optimal perturbations, and compares the predictions to other related cases examined recently. The optimal perturbation modes are shown to be highly concentrated in amplitude in the vicinity of the leading-edge corners and evolve to take the local shape of a Kelvin–Helmholtz shear-layer instability further downstream. However, the dominant mode reaches a maximum amplitude downstream of the position of the reattachment point of the shear layer. The maximum energy growth increases at 2.5 decades for each increment in Reynolds number of 100. Maximum energy growth of the optimal perturbation mode at a Reynolds number of 350 is greater than , which is typically an upper limit of the Reynolds number range over which it is possible to observe steady flow experimentally. While transient growth analysis concentrates on the evolution of wavepackets rather than continuous forcing, this appears consistent with longitudinal turbulence levels of up to 1 % for some water tunnels, and the fact that the optimal mode is highly concentrated close to the leading-edge corner so that an instantaneous projection of a perturbation field from a noisy inflow onto the optimal mode can be significant. Indeed, direct simulations with inflow noise reveal that a root-mean-square noise level of just 0.1 % is sufficient to trigger some unsteadiness at , while a 0.5 % level results in sustained shedding. Three-dimensional optimal perturbation mode analysis was also performed showing that at , the optimal mode has a spanwise wavelength of 11.7 plate thicknesses and is amplified 20 % more than the two-dimensional optimal disturbance. The evolved three-dimensional mode shows strong streamwise vortical structures aligned at a shallow angle to the plate top surface.

Three spatially extended travelling wave exact coherent states, together with one spanwise-localised state, are presented for channel flow. Two of the extended flows are derived by homotopy from solutions to the problem of channel flow subject to a spanwise rotation investigated by Wall & Nagata (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 727, 2013, pp. 523–581). Both these flows are asymmetric with respect to the channel centreplane, and feature streaky structures in streamwise velocity flanked by staggered vortical structures. One of these flows features two streak/vortex systems per spanwise wavelength, while the other features one such system. The former substantially reduces the value of the lowest Reynolds number at which channel flow solutions ,other than the basic flow, are known to exist down to 665. The third flow has, in contrast, half-turn rotational symmetry about a streamwise axis through a point on the channel centreplane, and is found to be the flow from which one of the asymmetric flows bifurcates in a symmetry-breaking bifurcation. This flow is found to exist on an isolated bifurcation branch, whose upper and lower branches both lie on the boundary basin separating initial conditions that lead to turbulent events, and those that directly decay back to laminar flow. The structure of this flow, in which the disturbance to the basic flow is concentrated in a core region in a spanwise period, allowed the derivation of a corresponding spanwise-localised flow, which is also discussed.

Since 1904, when Prandtl formulated the boundary-layer equations, it has been presumed that due to the viscous nature of the boundary layers the solution of the Prandtl equations should be sought in the class of continuous functions. However, there are clear mathematical reasons for discontinuous solutions to exist. Moreover, under certain conditions they represent the only possible solutions of the boundary-layer equations.

In this paper we consider, as an example, an unsteady analogue of the laminar jet problem first studied by Schlichting in 1933. In Schlichting's formulation the jet emerges from a narrow slit in a flat barrier and penetrates into a semi-infinite region filled with fluid which would remain at rest if the slit were closed. Assuming the flow steady, Schlichting was able to demonstrate that the corresponding solution to the Prandtl equations may be written in an explicit analytic form. Here our concern will be with unsteady flow that is initiated when the slit is opened and the jet starts penetrating into the stagnant fluid. To study this process we begin with the numerical solution of the unsteady boundary-layer equations. Since discontinuities were expected, the equations were written in conservative form before finite differencing. The solution shows that the jet has a well-established front representing a discontinuity in the velocity field, similar to the shock waves that form in supersonic gas flows.

Then, in order to reveal the ‘internal structure’ of the shock we turn to the analysis of the flow in a small region surrounding the discontinuity. With Re denoting the Reynolds number, the size of the inner region is estimated as an order Re−1/2 quantity in both longitudinal and lateral directions. We found that the fluid motion in this region is predominantly inviscid and may be treated as quasi-steady if considered in the coordinate frame moving with the jet front. These simplifications allow a simple formula for the front speed to be deduced, which proved to be in close agreement with experimental observation of Turner (J. Fluid Mech. vol. 13 (1962), p. 356).

Nonlinear instability in a supersonic boundary layer at Mach 4.8 with two-dimensional roughness is investigated by means of spatial direct numerical simulations (DNS). It was previously found that an important effect of a two-dimensional roughness is to increase significantly the amplitude of two-dimensional waves downstream of the roughness in a certain frequency band through enhanced instability and transient growth, while waves outside this band are damped. Here, we investigate the nonlinear secondary instability induced by a large-amplitude two-dimensional wave, which has received a significant boost in amplitude from this additional roughness-induced amplification. Both subharmonic and fundamental secondary excitation of the oblique secondary waves are considered. We found that even though the growth rate of the secondary perturbations increases compared to their linear amplification, only in some of the cases was a fully resonant state attained by the streamwise end of the domain. A parametric investigation of the amplitude of the primary wave, the phase difference between the primary and the secondary waves, and the spanwise wavenumber has also been performed. The transient growth experienced by the primary wave was found to not influence the secondary instability for most parameter combinations. For unfavourable phase relations between the primary and the secondary waves, the phase speed of the secondary wave decreases significantly, and this hampers its growth. Finally, we also investigated the strongly nonlinear stage, for which both the primary and the subharmonic secondary waves had a comparable, finite amplitude. In this case, the growth of the primary waves was found to vanish downstream of the transient growth region, resulting in a lower amplitude than in the absence of the large-amplitude secondary wave. This feedback also decreases the amplification rate of the secondary wave.

Time-resolved velocity measurements are obtained using a hot-wire in a nearly homogeneous and isotropic flow downstream of an active grid for a range of Taylor Reynolds numbers from $191$ to $659$. It is found that the dimensionless dissipation rate, $C_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D716}}$, is nearly a constant for sufficiently high values of Taylor Reynolds number, $R_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D706},u_{q}}$, and is approximately equal to $0.87$. This value is approximately $5\,\%$ less than the value reported by Bos et al. (Phys. Fluids, vol. 19 (4), 2007, 045101), which is obtained using DNS/LES (direct numerical simulation combined with large eddy simulation) for decaying homogeneous and isotropic turbulence, and is in excellent agreement with the active grid experiment of Thormann & Meneveau (Phys. Fluids, vol. 26 (2), 2014, 025112.). The results presented herein show that deviation from isotropy may cause inconsistencies in the computation of $C_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D716}}$. As a result, it is suggested that the velocity scale be the square root of the turbulence kinetic energy. The integral length scale measurements obtained from the longitudinal velocity correlation are in close agreement with the integral length scale measured from the peak of the energy spectrum, $\unicode[STIX]{x1D705}E_{11}(\unicode[STIX]{x1D705})$, where $\unicode[STIX]{x1D705}$ is the wavenumber and $E_{11}(\unicode[STIX]{x1D705})$ is the one-dimensional power spectrum of the downstream velocity.

We present an experimental and theoretical study of a thin, viscous fluid layer that flows radially under gravity from a point source into a denser inviscid fluid layer of uniform depth above a rigid horizontal surface. Near the source, the viscous layer lies in full contact with the surface, forming a vertical-shear-dominated viscous gravity current. At a certain distance from the source, the layer detaches from the surface to form a floating current whose dynamics are controlled by the viscous stresses due to longitudinal extension. We describe the dynamics of the grounded and floating components using distinct thin-layer theories. Separating the grounded and floating regions is the freely moving line of detachment, or grounding line, whose evolution we model by balancing the horizontal forces between the two regions. Using numerical and asymptotic analysis, we calculate the evolution of the system from a self-similar form at early times towards a steady state at late times. We use our solutions to illustrate how three-dimensional stresses within marine ice sheets, such as that of West Antarctica, can lead to stabilization of the grounding line. To assess the validity of the assumptions underlying our model, we compare its predictions with data from a series of laboratory experiments.