This paper deals with the propagation of a sound pulse into a gas which initially has solid-body rotation and constant temperature, the initial pressure and density increasing outwards like ex, where x is the square of a certain dimensionless radial co-ordinate. The perturbations are due to a source-like disturbance on the axis of symmetry, which begins to act at time t = 0: most attention is paid to source strengths which vary in time like a Dirac pulse or a step function, but the following remarks apply generally.

Immediately behind the wave front the perturbation velocity and temperature decay like e-½x, while the (absolute) perturbation pressure and density grow like e½x (the relative pressure and density increments, which are referred to local conditions in the undisturbed state, then also decay like e-½x). The rotation also introduces oscillations in flows which, with the same disturbance at the origin and no rotation, would vary monotonically with time at a given point.

In this work, we provide a viscous solution of the wave field generated by librating a disk (harmonic oscillation of the rotation rate) in a stably stratified rotating fluid. The zonal flow (mean flow correction) generated by the nonlinear interaction of the wave field is also calculated in the weakly nonlinear framework. We focus on the low dissipative limit relevant for geophysical applications and for which the wave field and the zonal flow exhibit generic features (Ekman scaling, universal structures, etc.). General expressions are obtained which depend on the disk radius $a^{\ast }$, the libration frequency ${\it\omega}^{\ast }$, the rotation rate ${\it\Omega}^{\ast }$ of the frame, the buoyancy frequency $N^{\ast }$ of the fluid, its kinematic diffusion ${\it\nu}^{\ast }$ and its thermal diffusivity ${\it\kappa}^{\ast }$. When the libration frequency is in the inertia-gravity frequency interval ($\min ({\it\Omega}^{\ast },N^{\ast })<{\it\omega}^{\ast }<\max ({\it\Omega}^{\ast },N^{\ast })$), the presence of conical internal shear layers is observed in which the spatial structures of the harmonic response and of the mean flow correction are provided. At the point of focus of these internal shear layers on the rotation axis, the largest amplitudes are obtained: the angular velocity of the harmonic response and the mean flow correction are found to be $O({\it\varepsilon}E^{-1/3})$ and $({\it\varepsilon}^{2}E^{-2/3})$ respectively, where ${\it\varepsilon}$ is the libration amplitude and $E={\it\nu}^{\ast }/({\it\Omega}^{\ast }a^{\ast 2})$ is the Ekman number. We show that the solution in the internal shear layers and in the focus region is at leading order the same as that generated by an oscillating source of axial flow localized at the edge of the disk (oscillating Dirac ring source).

The application of a particular transformation to the triadic integral results in an expression having the following advantages: (a) it satisfies global energy conservation in an evident fashion, independently of the accuracy of the energy-spectrum calculations; (b) it allows an economy of computational time; (c) it shows certain symmetries in the behaviour of non-local interactions; (d) it provides, for the non-local interactions contribution to the transfer function, an expression which is simpler and more compact than those existing, in spite of being more nearly complete; (e) finally the calculated energy-transfer distribution is in good agreement with the experimental findings through a very large range of Rλ.

In this paper we consider the dynamics of a growing capillary fountain. We assume that at some time t = 0 an inviscid incompressible fluid is ejected vertically upwards through a circular nozzle. The subsequent dynamics of the resulting fountain is studied numerically using the boundary-element technique. The rate at which fluid is discharged from the nozzle and the Bond number (a measure of gravitational and surface tension forces) are the parameters that govern the dynamics of the fountain. For small discharge rates the fountain assumes the form of a slowly growing sessile drop, with dynamic effects not modifying the shape of the drop significantly. For large discharge rates we find that close to the symmetry axis a region develops with a high curvature. This strongly curved region results in a physical instability which can take on one of two forms: either a liquid drop is ejected from the free surface or the capillary surface entrains a bubble. For intermediate values of the discharge rate we find that fluid lobes develop which fall over the side of the nozzle. A number of experimental results are also presented showing the evolution of water fountains for different Bond numbers and discharge rates. Some of our numerical predictions are confirmed by the experimental results.

Experimental results for the axial velocity distribution in the entry region of weakly curved circular ducts at high Dean numbers are presented. Estimates for the displacement thickness of the boundary layer and the wall shear stress obtained from these data are compared with theoretical predictions.

Hetons are baroclinic vortices able to transport tracers or species, which have been observed at sea. This paper studies the offset collision of two identical hetons, often resulting in the formation of a baroclinic tripole, in a continuously stratified quasi-geostrophic model. This process is of interest since it (temporarily or definitely) stops the transport of tracers contained in the hetons. First, the structure, stationarity and nonlinear stability of baroclinic tripoles composed of an upper core and two lower (symmetric) satellites are studied analytically for point vortices and numerically for finite-area vortices. The condition for stationarity of the point vortices is obtained and it is proven that the baroclinic point tripoles are neutral. Finite-volume stationary tripoles exist with marginal states having very elongated (figure-of-eight shaped) upper cores. In the case of vertically distant upper and lower cores, the latter can nearly join near the centre of the plane. These steady states are compared with their two-layer counterparts. Then, the nonlinear evolution of the steady states shows when they are often neutral (showing an oscillatory evolution); when they are unstable, they can either split into two hetons (by breaking of the upper core) or form a single heton (by merger of the lower satellites). These evolutions reflect the linearly unstable modes which can grow on the vorticity poles. Very tall tripoles can break up vertically due to the vertical shear mutually induced by the poles. Finally, the formation of such baroclinic tripoles from the offset collision of two identical hetons is investigated numerically. This formation occurs for hetons offset by less than the internal separation between their poles. The velocity shear during the interaction can lead to substantial filamentation by the upper core, thus forming small upper satellites, vertically aligned with the lower ones. Finally, in the case of close and flat poles, this shear (or the baroclinic instability of the tripole) can be strong enough that the formed baroclinic tripole is short-lived and that hetons eventually emerge from the collision and drift away.

A linear stability analysis has been implemented for hydromagnetic dissipative Couette flow, a viscous electrically conducting fluid between rotating concentric cylinders in the presence of a uniform axial magnetic field. The small-gap equations with respect to non-axisymmetric disturbances are derived and solved by a direct numerical procedure. Both types of boundary conditions, conducting and non-conducting walls, are considered. A parametric study covering wide ranges of μ, the ratio of angular velocity of the outer cylinder to that of inner cylinder, and Q, the Hartmann number which represents the strength of axial magnetic field, is conducted. Results show that the stability characteristics depend on the conductivity of the cylinders. For the case of non-conducting walls, it is found that the critical disturbance is a non-axisymmetric mode as the value of μ is sufficiently negative and the domain of Q where non-axisymmetric instability modes prevail is limited. Similar results are obtained for conducting walls at low Hartmann number. In addition, the transition of the onset of instability from non-axisymmetric modes to axisymmetric modes for the case μ=−1 with increasing strength of magnetic field are discussed in detail. For high values of the Hartmann number, the critical disturbance is always the axisymmetric stationary mode for non-conducting walls but not for conducting walls. For −1[les ]μ<1, it is demonstrated that non-axisymmetric instability modes prevail in a wide range of Q for conducting walls and axisymmetric oscillatory modes may, in fact, become more critical than both of the non-axisymmetric and axisymmetric stationary modes at higher values of the Hartmann number.

An experimental study on the impact of a translating two-dimensional transient jet on an initially quiescent liquid pool is studied experimentally using high-speed cinematic visualization and particle image velocimetry methods. Six jet conditions (covering a range of jet thicknesses, velocities and inclination angles relative to vertical) are considered, with measurements performed over a range of horizontal translation speeds for each jet condition. For all conditions studied herein, the jet penetrates into the pool and forms two craters – one upstream and one downstream of the jet. Gravity acts to close these craters, which after a short time pinch off at intermediate depths, thereby entrapping cavities of air. The translation speed of the jet is found to have a dramatic effect on the cavity shapes, pinch-off depths and pinch-off times. A simple theory based on a potential flow and a hydrostatically driven collapse is used to model this flow, and the resulting jet tip trajectories and cavity shapes compare favourably with the experimental data.

Oscillatory flow in ∪-shaped pipes has been investigated experimentally. The velocity field is mapped by observing the motion of tracer particles either photographically or by laser-Doppler anemometry. The most important result seems to be the observation of regions with strong secondary streaming at the inlet of the curved section, which, to the best of our knowledge, has not been reported before.

We apply the Cameron—Martin—Wiener (formerly ‘Wiener—Hermite’) expansion of a random velocity field to the analytical study of turbulence. The kernels of this expansion contain all statistical information about the ensemble. Complete expressions are derived for constructing statistical quantities in terms of the kernels, and for the equations of motion of the kernels. We rigorously prove the Gaussian trend of the velocity field of the Navier—Stokes equation in the very late stage when the non-linear term is neglected. The n-dependence (n is the order of derivative) of the flatness factor, minus three for derivatives of the velocity field, shows a rapid increase with n in this stage.

The late decay problem of the Burgers model of turbulence is studied analytically with a view to obtaining suggestive guidelines for fitting the non-linear aspects of the model turbulence. We can divide the energy spectrum density into two parts, the larger of which is a kind of steady solution, which we call the ‘equilibrium state’, which remains self-similar in time in terms of an appropriate variable. The deviation from this ‘equilibrium solution’ satisfies the Kármán—Howarth equation. As initial velocity field, we take two particular cases: (a) a pure Gaussian, and (b) a non-Gaussian velocity field. With these two cases a detailed spectral analysis has been obtained. The energy spectrum deviation from ‘equilibrium’ declines exponentially to zero for all wave-numbers. The Gaussian case shows that the flatness factor minus three increases rapidly with n, while the non-Gaussian case does not show any marked dependence on n.

A numerical investigation was conducted into the different flow states, and bifurcations leading to changes of state, found in open cylinders of medium to moderate depth driven by a constant rotation of the vessel base. A combination of linear stability analysis, for cylinders of numerous height-to-radius aspect ratios (H/R), and nonlinear stability analysis and three-dimensional simulations for a cylinder of aspect ratio 1.5, has been employed. Attention is focused on the breaking of SO(2) symmetry. A comprehensive map of transition Reynolds numbers as a function of aspect ratio is presented by combining a detailed stability analysis with the limited existing data from the literature. For all aspect ratios considered, the primary instabilities are identified as symmetry-breaking Hopf bifurcations, occurring at Reynolds numbers well below those of the previously reported axisymmetric Hopf transitions. It is revealed that instability modes with azimuthal wavenumbers m = 1, 3 and 4 are the most unstable in the range 1.0 < H/R < 4, and that numerous double Hopf bifurcation points exist. Critical Reynolds numbers generally increase with cylinder aspect ratio, though a decrease in stability occurs between aspect ratios 1.5 and 2.0, where a local minimum in critical Reynolds number occurs. For H/R = 1.5, a detailed characterisation of instability modes is given. It is hypothesized that the primary instability leading to transition from steady axisymmetric flow to unsteady three-dimensional flow is related to deformation of shear layers that are present in the flow, in particular at the interfacial region between the vortex breakdown bubble and the primary recirculation.

A nonlinear analysis is performed numerically for the motion of an electrically conducting fluid between parallel plates in relative motion when a transverse magnetic field is applied. It is found that steady three-dimensional finite-amplitude solutions exist even when the linear analysis predicts an infinite critical Reynolds number.

In this study we discuss the cost efficiency of the optimization of a new prototypical mixing flow, the Fourier sine flow, an extension of the sine flow. The Fourier sine flow stirs a mixture on a two-dimensional torus by blinking, at prescribed switching times, two orthogonal velocity fields with profiles represented by a Fourier sine series. We derive a family of mixers of increasing complexity by truncating the series to one, two, three and four modes. We consider the optimization of the velocity profiles and the optimization of the stirring protocol. We implement the former by computing, at each iteration, the amplitudes and phase shifts of the Fourier modes synthesizing the velocity profiles that minimize the mix-norm, our cost function, i.e. maximize the quality of mixing. We implement the latter by selecting, at each iteration, the best performing of the two orthogonal stirring velocity fields, i.e. the velocity field that minimizes the mix-norm. To obtain a physically meaningful optimization problem, we constrain the kinetic energy of the flow to be the same among all mixers and use the viscous dissipation as an estimate of the power input needed to operate the mixers. We characterize the performance of the mixers using three cost functions: the homogenization time, the computational cost of optimization and the total energy consumption. We test the mixers on a range of admissible power inputs using two representative switching times. We report some surprising results. Mixers equipped with the velocity profile optimization and a periodic stirring protocol cannot be optimal, i.e. their performance depends on the switching time chosen, independently of the number of Fourier modes used in the optimization. Apparently, optimal mixers can be obtained only by coupling velocity profile and stirring protocol optimizations. The computational cost of the optimization depends only on the number of Fourier modes used and grows by about an order of magnitude for each Fourier mode added to the optimization. At low power inputs, the coupled optimizations allow us to obtain an attractive reduction of the homogenization time in combination with a reduction of the total energy required to produce it. However, increasing the power input does not guarantee a reduction of the homogenization time. Counter-intuitively, there are ranges of power inputs for which both the homogenization time and the total energy increase when increasing the power input. Finally, for large enough power inputs, optimizations with two, three and four Fourier modes perform similarly, making the former optimization the most cost-efficient.

The steady, two-dimensional transition criteria between regular and Mach reflection are well established. Little has been done on the dynamic effect on transition due to a rapidly rotating wedge. Results from experiments and computations done on steady and unsteady shock wave transition from Mach reflection to regular reflection, MR $\def \xmlpi #1{}\def \mathsfbi #1{\boldsymbol {\mathsf {#1}}}\let \le =\leqslant \let \leq =\leqslant \let \ge =\geqslant \let \geq =\geqslant \def \Pr {\mathit {Pr}}\def \Fr {\mathit {Fr}}\def \Rey {\mathit {Re}}\rightarrow $ RR, are described. The measured motion and the initial shock incidence was used to mimic the experiment with a two-dimensional numerical code. The maximum rotation speed achieved at transition was approximately $2500^\circ \ {\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$. Rapid wedge rotation was shown to have a significant measurable effect on transition. The code was also applied to the dependence of dynamic MR $\rightarrow $ RR transition on other variables in the parameter space. These include rotation about the leading or trailing edge, initial incidence and rotation speed at two free-stream conditions. Impulsively started rotation in these cases was used with the rotation specified by $M_E = \omega c/a_{\infty }$ where $\omega $ is constant angular velocity (negative anticlockwise), $c$ the distance from the edge considered to the pivot point and $a_{\infty }$ the free-stream sound speed. For the Mach numbers and range of rotation speeds tested, both the wedge and shock angle at transition decreased with increased rotation speed. The sensitivity of the transition angle to changing the rotation point from the trailing edge to the experimental model pivot point was investigated briefly at a free-stream Mach number of $M = 2.98$ with $M_E = -0.1$. The wedge angle at transition increased by 1.5° and the shock angle at transition decreased by 1.5°, a significant variation. The effect of the initial incidence was also investigated. By reducing the initial wedge angle from 24.5 to 23.5° for these initial conditions the shock angle at transition decreased by approximately 1.8°, also a marked sensitivity. The flow field development for impulsive rotation about the wedge trailing and leading edges at $M = 1.93$ for $M_E = -0.075$ was analysed in some detail. The flow field development is very sensitive to the rotation centre, more especially at large rotation rates. Four phases of the Mach stem development were identified in both cases. For rotation about the wedge leading edge the Mach stem height remains constant until the expansion waves arrive at the triple point. This is followed by an increase in Mach stem height, which then remains constant for a short period after which it decreases until transition to RR. For rotation about the wedge trailing edge the impulsive start generates a disturbance on the incident wave which propagates down the wave, through the triple point and down the Mach stem. The stem height is constant until the arrival of the incident wave disturbance. This causes a sudden decrease in Mach stem height. Subsequently, the Mach stem height remains constant for a short time, before it decreases until transition to RR. Similar effects in the variation of stem height with wedge angle occur at the higher Mach number of 2.98. It was demonstrated that MR can be maintained for a while at zero wedge incidence with a sufficiently large rotation rate of $M_E = -0.1$, with $M=1.93$, for both leading and trailing edge pivot points.

An exact periodic solution of the unsteady energy equation for an incompressible fluid with constant properties is derived to illustrate the effect of an oscillation through the viscous dissipation on a temperature field. The flow field used here is a generalization of the well-known Couette flow solution of steady flow, in which one wall is at rest and the other wall oscillates in its own plane about a constant mean velocity. The solution is subject to two boundary conditions that correspond to the heat-transfer and thermometer problems. In order to have some suggestions about the approximate solutions, the solution is compared with its own approximate form. The temperature field consists of a time-mean, first and second harmonic fluctuation. The time-mean temperature profiles show the large influence of oscillation. The time-mean heat flux into or the time-mean temperature of the oscillating wall increases with frequency, and is ultimately proportional to the square root of the frequency. In § 4 the present exact solution of the Couette flow is compared with the formerly obtained approximate solution of the flat plate boundary-layer flow in terms of the wall characteristic values at high frequencies.

A theoretical and experimental investigation of drop motion in rotating fluids is presented. The theory describing the vertical on-axis translation of an axisymmetric rigid body through a rapidly rotating low-viscosity fluid is extended to the case of a buoyant deformable fluid drop of arbitrary viscosity. In the case that inertial and viscous effects are negligible within the bulk external flow, motions are constrained to be two-dimensional in compliance with the Taylor–Proudman theorem, and the rising drop is circumscribed by a Taylor column. Calculations for the drop shape and rise speed decouple, so that theoretical predictions for both are obtained analytically. Drop shapes are set by a balance between centrifugal and interfacial tension forces, and correspond to the family of prolate ellipsoids which would arise in the absence of drop translation. In the case of a drop rising through an unbounded fluid, the Taylor column is dissipated at a distance determined by the outer fluid viscosity, and the rise speed corresponds to that of an identically shaped rigid body. In the case of a drop rising through a sufficiently shallow plane layer of fluid, the Taylor column extends to the boundaries. In such bounded systems, the rise speed depends further on the fluid and drop viscosities, which together prescribe the efficiency of the Ekman transport over the drop and container surfaces.

A set of complementary experiments is also presented, which illustrate the effects of drop viscosity on steady drop motion in bounded rotating systems. The experimental results provide qualitative agreement with the theoretical predictions; in particular, the poloidal circulation observed inside low-viscosity drops is consistent with the presence of a double Ekman layer at the interface, and is opposite to that expected to arise in non-rotating systems. The steady rise speeds observed are larger than those predicted theoretically owing to the persistence of finite inertial effects.

A constantly accelerating circular plate was investigated towards understanding the effect of non-stationarity on shear-layer entrainment and topology. Dye visualizations and time-resolved particle image velocimetry measurements were collected for normalized accelerations spanning three orders of magnitude. Increasing acceleration acts to organize shear-layer topology. Specifically, the Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities within the shear layer better adhered to a circular path and exhibited consistent and repeatable spacing. Normalized starting-vortex circulation was observed to collapse with increasing acceleration, which one might not expect due to increased levels of mixing at higher instantaneous Reynolds numbers. The entrainment rate was shown to increase nonlinearly with increasing acceleration. This was attributed to closer spacing between instabilities, which better facilitates the roll-up of fluid between the shear layer and vortex core. The shear-layer organization observed at higher accelerations was associated with smaller spacings between instabilities. Specifically, analogous point-vortex simulations demonstrated that decreasing the spacing between instabilities acts to localize and dampen perturbations within an accelerating shear layer.

We examine the wave-induced flow of small-amplitude, quasi-monochromatic, three-dimensional, Boussinesq internal gravity wavepackets in a uniformly stratified ambient. It has been known since Bretherton (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 36 (4), 1969, pp. 785–803) that one-, two- and three-dimensional wavepackets induce qualitatively different flows. Whereas the wave-induced mean flow for compact three-dimensional wavepackets consists of a purely horizontal localized circulation that translates with and around the wavepacket, known as the Bretherton flow, such a flow is prohibited for a two-dimensional wavepacket of infinite spanwise extent, which instead induces a non-local internal wave response that is long compared with the streamwise extent of the wavepacket. One-dimensional (horizontally periodic) wavepackets induce a horizontal, non-divergent unidirectional flow. Through perturbation theory for quasi-monochromatic wavepackets of arbitrary aspect ratio, we predict for which aspect ratios which type of induced mean flow dominates. We compose a regime diagram that delineates whether the induced flow is comparable to that of one-, two- or compact three-dimensional wavepackets. The predictions agree well with the results of fully nonlinear three-dimensional numerical simulations.