scholarly journals Linear stability of boundary layers under solitary waves

2014 ◽  
Vol 761 ◽  
pp. 62-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joris C. G. Verschaeve ◽  
Geir K. Pedersen

AbstractIn the present treatise, the stability of the boundary layer under solitary waves is analysed by means of the parabolized stability equation. We investigate both surface solitary waves and internal solitary waves. The main result is that the stability of the flow is not of parametric nature as has been assumed in the literature so far. Not only does linear stability analysis highlight this misunderstanding, it also gives an explanation why Sumer et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 646, 2010, pp. 207–231), Vittori & Blondeaux (Coastal Engng, vol. 58, 2011, pp. 206–213) and Ozdemir et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 731, 2013, pp. 545–578) each obtained different critical Reynolds numbers in their experiments and simulations. We find that linear instability is possible in the acceleration region of the flow, leading to the question of how this relates to the observation of transition in the acceleration region in the experiments by Sumer et al. or to the conjecture of a nonlinear instability mechanism in this region by Ozdemir et al. The key concept for assessment of instabilities is the integrated amplification which has not been employed for this kind of flow before. In addition, the present analysis is not based on a uniformization of the flow but instead uses a fully nonlinear description including non-parallel effects, weakly or fully. This allows for an analysis of the sensitivity with respect to these effects. Thanks to this thorough analysis, quantitative agreement between model results and direct numerical simulation has been obtained for the problem in question. The use of a high-order accurate Navier–Stokes solver is primordial in order to obtain agreement for the accumulated amplifications of the Tollmien–Schlichting waves as revealed in this analysis. An elaborate discussion on the effects of amplitudes and water depths on the stability of the flow is presented.

1978 ◽  
Vol 87 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Davey

The linear stability of Poiseuille flow in an elliptic pipe which is nearly circular is examined by regarding the flow as a perturbation of Poiseuille flow in a circular pipe. We show that the temporal damping rates of non-axisymmetric infinitesimal disturbances which are concentrated near the wall of the pipe are decreased by the ellipticity. In particular we estimate that if the length of the minor axis of the cross-section of the pipe is less than about 96 ½% of that of the major axis then the flow will be unstable and a critical Reynolds number will exist. Also we calculate estimates of the ellipticities which will produce critical Reynolds numbers ranging from 1000 upwards.


1997 ◽  
Vol 163 ◽  
pp. 743-744
Author(s):  
R. Kleiber ◽  
W. Glatzel

AbstractWith respect to the stability of accretion tori the linear stability of infinitely long cylinders is investigated taking into account the effect of viscosity. Critical Reynolds numbers as a function of the Mach number and the azimuthal wavenumber of the perturbation are calculated.


2021 ◽  
Vol 933 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander V. Fedorov ◽  
Ivan V. Egorov

Theoretical analysis of attachment-line instabilities is performed for supersonic swept flows using the compressible Hiemenz approximation for the mean flow and the successive approximation procedures for disturbances. The theoretical model captures the dominant attachment-line modes in wide ranges of the sweep Mach number ${M_e}$ and the wall temperature ratio. It is shown that these modes behave similar to the first and second Mack modes in the boundary layer flow. This similarity allows us to extrapolate the knowledge gained for Mack modes to the attachment-line instabilities. In particular, we find that at sufficiently large ${M_e}$ , the dominant attachment-line instability is associated with the synchronisation of slow and fast modes of acoustic nature. Point-by-point comparisons of the theoretical predictions with the experiments of Gaillard et al. (Exp. Fluids, vol. 26, 1999, pp. 169–176) demonstrate that at ${M_e} > 4$ , the theory captures a significant drop of the transition onset Reynolds number, which is below the contamination criterion of Poll $({R_\mathrm{\ast }} = 250)$ at ${M_e} > 6$ . This contradicts the generally accepted assumption that the attachment-line flow is stable for ${R_\mathrm{\ast }} \le 250$ . The theoretical critical Reynolds numbers lie well below the experimental transition-onset Reynolds numbers. Stability computations using the Navier–Stokes mean flow and accounting for the leading-edge curvature effect do not eliminate this discrepancy. Most likely, in the experiments of Gaillard et al., we face with an unknown effect that does not fit to the concept of transition arising from linear instability.


1998 ◽  
Vol 366 ◽  
pp. 33-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
VLADIMIR SHTERN ◽  
FAZLE HUSSAIN

A new stability approach is developed for a wide class of strongly non-parallel axisymmetric flows of a viscous incompressible fluid. This approach encompasses all conical flows, and all steady and weakly unsteady disturbances, while prior studies were limited to specific flows and particular disturbances. A specially derived form of the Navier–Stokes equations allows the exact reduction of the linear stability problem to a system of ordinary differential equations. We found that disturbances originating at the boundaries of a similarity region cause a variety of steady bifurcations. Consideration of the still fluid allows disturbances to be classified into inner, outer and global modes, depending on the boundary conditions perturbed. Then we identify and study modes which cause bifurcation as the Reynolds number increases. The study provides improved understanding of (a) azimuthal symmetry breaking, (b) genesis of swirl, (c) onset of heat convection, (d) hydromagnetic dynamo, (e) hysteretic transitions, and (f) jump flow separation. We also discover and analyse two new bifurcations: (g) fold catastrophes and (h) appearance of radial oscillations in swirl-free jets. The stability analysis reveals that bifurcations (a), (c) and (f) are caused by inner perturbations, bifurcations (b), (d), (e) and (g) by outer perturbations, and bifurcation (h) by global perturbations. We deduce amplitude equations to describe the nonlinear spatiotemporal development of disturbances near the critical Reynolds numbers for (b) and (g). Disturbances switching between the basic and secondary steady states are found to grow monotonically with time.


2017 ◽  
Vol 836 ◽  
pp. 740-772 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joris C. G. Verschaeve ◽  
Geir K. Pedersen ◽  
Cameron Tropea

In the present work, a stability analysis of the bottom boundary layer under solitary waves based on energy bounds and non-modal theory is performed. The instability mechanism of this flow consists of a competition between streamwise streaks and two-dimensional perturbations. For lower Reynolds numbers and early times, streamwise streaks display larger amplification due to their quadratic dependence on the Reynolds number, whereas two-dimensional perturbations become dominant for larger Reynolds numbers and later times in the deceleration region of this flow, as the maximum amplification of two-dimensional perturbations grows exponentially with the Reynolds number. By means of the present findings, we can give some indications on the physical mechanism and on the interpretation of the results by direct numerical simulation in Vittori & Blondeaux (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 615, 2008, pp. 433–443) and Özdemir et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 731, 2013, pp. 545–578) and by experiments in Sumer et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 646, 2010, pp. 207–231). In addition, three critical Reynolds numbers can be defined for which the stability properties of the flow change. In particular, it is shown that this boundary layer changes from a monotonically stable to a non-monotonically stable flow at a Reynolds number of $Re_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FF}}=18$.


1994 ◽  
Vol 258 ◽  
pp. 131-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter W. Duck ◽  
Gordon Erlebacher ◽  
M. Yousuff Hussaini

The linear stability of compressible plane Couette flow is investigated. The appropriate basic velocity and temperature distributions are perturbed by a small-amplitude normal-mode disturbance. The full small-amplitude disturbance equations are solved numerically at finite Reynolds numbers, and the inviscid limit of these equations is then investigated in some detail. It is found that instabilities can occur, although the corresponding growth rates are often quite small; the stability characteristics of the flow are quite different from unbounded flows. The effects of viscosity are also calculated, asymptotically, and shown to have a stabilizing role in all the cases investigated. Exceptional regimes to the problem occur when the wave speed of the disturbances approaches the velocity of either of the walls, and these regimes are also analysed in some detail. Finally, the effect of imposing radiation-type boundary conditions on the upper (moving) wall (in place of impermeability) is investigated, and shown to yield results common to both bounded and unbounded flows.


1985 ◽  
Vol 160 ◽  
pp. 281-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. A. Milinazzo ◽  
P. G. Saffman

Computations of two-dimensional solutions of the Navier–Stokes equations are carried out for finite-amplitude waves on steady unidirectional flow. Several cases are considered. The numerical method employs pseudospectral techniques in the streamwise direction and finite differences on a stretched grid in the transverse direction, with matching to asymptotic solutions when unbounded. Earlier results for Poiseuille flow in a channel are re-obtained, except that attention is drawn to the dependence of the minimum Reynolds number on the physical constraint of constant flux or constant pressure gradient. Attempts to calculate waves in Couette flow by continuation in the velocity of a channel wall fail. The asymptotic suction boundary layer is shown to possess finite-amplitude waves at Reynolds numbers orders of magnitude less than the critical Reynolds number for linear instability. Waves in the Blasius boundary layer and unsteady Rayleigh profile are calculated by employing the artifice of adding a body force to cancel the spatial or temporal growth. The results are verified by comparison with perturbation analysis in the vicinity of the linear-instability critical Reynolds numbers.


Author(s):  
Jean-Yves Chemin ◽  
Benoit Desjardins ◽  
Isabelle Gallagher ◽  
Emmanuel Grenier

Let us now detail the stability properties of an Ekman layer introduced in Part I, page 11. First we will recall how to compute the critical Reynolds number. Then we will describe briefly what happens at larger Reynolds numbers. The first step in the study of the stability of the Ekman layer is to consider the linear stability of a pure Ekman spiral of the form where U∞ is the velocity away from the layer and ζ is the rescaled vertical component ζ = x3/√εν. The corresponding Reynolds number is Let us consider the Navier–Stokes–Coriolis equations, linearized around uE The problem is now to study the (linear) stability of the 0 solution of the system (LNSCε). If u=0 is stable we say that uE is linearly stable, if not we say that it is linearly unstable. Numerical results show that u=0 is stable if and only if Re<Rec where Rec can be evaluated numerically. Up to now there is no mathematical proof of this fact, and it is only possible to prove that 0 is linearly stable for Re<Re1 and unstable for Re>Re2 with Re1<Rec<Re2, Re1 being obtained by energy estimates and Re2 by a perturbative analysis of the case Re=∞. We would like to emphasize that the numerical results are very reliable and can be considered as definitive results, since as we will see below, the stability analysis can be reduced to the study of a system of ordinary differential equations posed on the half-space, with boundary conditions on both ends, a system which can be studied arbitrarily precisely, even on desktop computers (first computations were done in the 1960s by Lilly).


2010 ◽  
Vol 656 ◽  
pp. 417-447 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANIRBAN GUHA ◽  
IAN A. FRIGAARD

We present a detailed study of the linear stability of the plane Couette–Poiseuille flow in the presence of a crossflow. The base flow is characterized by the crossflow Reynolds number Rinj and the dimensionless wall velocity k. Squire's transformation may be applied to the linear stability equations and we therefore consider two-dimensional (spanwise-independent) perturbations. Corresponding to each dimensionless wall velocity, k ∈ [0, 1], two ranges of Rinj exist where unconditional stability is observed. In the lower range of Rinj, for modest k we have a stabilization of long wavelengths leading to a cutoff Rinj. This lower cutoff results from skewing of the velocity profile away from a Poiseuille profile, shifting of the critical layers and the gradual decrease of energy production. Crossflow stabilization and Couette stabilization appear to act via very similar mechanisms in this range, leading to the potential for a robust compensatory design of flow stabilization using either mechanism. As Rinj is increased, we see first destabilization and then stabilization at very large Rinj. The instability is again a long-wavelength mechanism. An analysis of the eigenspectrum suggests the cause of instability is due to resonant interactions of Tollmien–Schlichting waves. A linear energy analysis reveals that in this range the Reynolds stress becomes amplified, the critical layer is irrelevant and viscous dissipation is completely dominated by the energy production/negation, which approximately balances at criticality. The stabilization at very large Rinj appears to be due to decay in energy production, which diminishes like Rinj−1. Our study is limited to two-dimensional, spanwise-independent perturbations.


2002 ◽  
Vol 451 ◽  
pp. 35-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. JONATHAN CHAPMAN

Certain laminar flows are known to be linearly stable at all Reynolds numbers, R, although in practice they always become turbulent for sufficiently large R. Other flows typically become turbulent well before the critical Reynolds number of linear instability. One resolution of these paradoxes is that the domain of attraction for the laminar state shrinks for large R (as Rγ say, with γ < 0), so that small but finite perturbations lead to transition. Trefethen et al. (1993) conjectured that in fact γ <−1. Subsequent numerical experiments by Lundbladh, Henningson & Reddy (1994) indicated that for streamwise initial perturbations γ =−1 and −7/4 for plane Couette and plane Poiseuille flow respectively (using subcritical Reynolds numbers for plane Poiseuille flow), while for oblique initial perturbations γ =−5/4 and −7/4 Here, through a formal asymptotic analysis of the Navier–Stokes equations, it is found that for streamwise initial perturbations γ =−1 and −3/2 for plane Couette and plane Poiseuille flow respectively (factoring out the unstable modes for plane Poiseuille flow), while for oblique initial perturbations γ =−1 and −5/4. Furthermore it is shown why the numerically determined threshold exponents are not the true asymptotic values.


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