On the formation of Moore curvature singularities in vortex sheets

1999 ◽  
Vol 378 ◽  
pp. 233-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
STEPHEN J. COWLEY ◽  
GREG R. BAKER ◽  
SALEH TANVEER

Moore (1979) demonstrated that the cumulative influence of small nonlinear effects on the evolution of a slightly perturbed vortex sheet is such that a curvature singularity can develop at a large, but finite, time. By means of an analytical continuation of the problem into the complex spatial plane, we find a consistent asymptotic solution to the problem posed by Moore. Our solution includes the shape of the vortex sheet as the curvature singularity forms. Analytic results are confirmed by comparison with numerical solutions. Further, for a wide class of initial conditions (including perturbations of finite amplitude), we demonstrate that 3/2-power singularities can spontaneously form at t=0+ in the complex plane. We show that these singularities propagate around the complex plane. If two singularities collide on the real axis, then a point of infinite curvature develops on the vortex sheet. For such an occurrence we give an asymptotic description of the vortex-sheet shape at times close to singularity formation.

1978 ◽  
Vol 88 (3) ◽  
pp. 401-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. I. Pullin

Two problems involving the unsteady motion of two-dimensional vortex sheets are considered. The first is the roll-up of an initially plane semi-infinite vortex sheet while the second is the power-law starting flow past an infinite wedge with separation at the wedge apex modelled by a growing vortex sheet. In both cases well-known similarity solutions are used to transform the time-dependent problem for the sheet motion into an integro-differential equation. Finite-difference numerical solutions to these equations are obtained which give details of the large-scale structure of the rolled-up portion of the sheet. For the semi-infinite sheet good agreement with Kaden's asymptotic spiral solution is obtained. However, for the starting-flow problem distortions in the sheet shape and strength not predicted by the leading-order asymptotic solutions were found to be significant.


The instability of two layers of immiscible inviscid and incompressible fluids in relative motion is studied with allowance for small, but finite, disturbances and for spatial as well as temporal development. By using the method of multiple scaling, a generalized formulation of the amplitude equation is obtained, applicable to both stable and marginally unstable regions of parameter space. Of principal concern is the neighbourhood of the critical point for instability, where weakly nonlinear solutions can be found for arbitrary initial conditions. Among the analytical results, it is shown that (1) the nonlinear effects can be stabilizing or destabilizing depending on the density ratio, (2) the existence of purely spatial instability depends upon the frame of reference, the density ratio, and whether the nonlinear effects are stabilizing, (3) exact nonlinear solutions of the amplitude equation exist representing modulations of permanent form travelling faster than the signal velocity of the linear equation (in particular, a solution is found that represents a solitary wave packet), and (4) the linear solution to the impulsive initial value problem has 'fronts’ which travel with the two (multiple) values of the group velocity (the packet as a whole moves with the mean of the two values). Numerical solutions of the amplitude equation (a nonlinear, unstable Klein-Gordon equation) are also presented for the case of nonlinear stabilization. These show that the development of a localized disturbance, in one or two dimensions, is highly dependent on the precise form of the initial conditions, even when the initial amplitude is very small. The exact solutions mentioned above play an important role in this development. The numerical experiments also show that the familiar uniform solution, an oscillatory function of time only, is unstable to spatial modulation if the amplitude of oscillation is large enough.


2014 ◽  
Vol 746 ◽  
pp. 332-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence K. Forbes

AbstractA previous study by Forbes (ANZIAM J., vol. 53, 2011, pp. 87–121) has argued that, when a light fluid is injected from a point source into a heavier ambient fluid, the interface between them is most unstable to perturbations at the lowest spherical mode. This means that, regardless of initial conditions, the outflow from a point source eventually becomes a one-sided jet. However, two-sided (bi-polar) outflows are nevertheless often observed in astrophysics, in apparent contradiction to this prediction. While there are many possible explanations for this fact, the present paper considers the effect of a straining flow in the ambient fluid. In addition, solid-body rotation in the inner fluid is also accounted for, in a Boussinesq viscous model. It is shown analytically that there are circumstances under which straining flow alone is sufficient to convert the one-sided jet into a genuine bi-polar outflow, in linearized theory. This is confirmed in a numerical solution of a viscous model of the flow, based on a spectral solution technique that accounts for nonlinear effects. Rotation can also generate flows that are two-sided, and this is likewise revealed through an asymptotic analysis and numerical solutions of the nonlinear equations.


Author(s):  
Jannette B. Frandsen ◽  
Alistair G. L. Borthwick

Nonlinear effects of standing wave motions in fixed and vertically excited tanks are numerically investigated. The present fully nonlinear model analyses two-dimensional waves in stable and unstable regions of the free-surface flow. Numerical solutions of the governing nonlinear potential flow equations are obtained using a finite-difference time-stepping scheme on adaptively mapped grids. A σ-transformation in the vertical direction that stretches directly between the free-surface and bed boundary is applied to map the moving free surface physical domain onto a fixed computational domain. A horizontal linear mapping is also applied, so that the resulting computational domain is rectangular, and consists of unit square cells. The small-amplitude free-surface predictions in the fixed and vertically excited tanks compare well with 2nd order small perturbation theory. For stable steep waves in the vertically excited tank, the free-surface exhibits nonlinear behaviour. Parametric resonance is evident in the instability zones, as the amplitudes grow exponentially, even for small forcing amplitudes. For steep initial amplitudes the predictions differ considerably from the small perturbation theory solution, demonstrating the importance of nonlinear effects. The present numerical model provides a simple way of simulating steep non-breaking waves. It is computationally quick and accurate, and there is no need for free surface smoothing because of the σ-transformation.


Author(s):  
Javier Gómez-Serrano ◽  
Jaemin Park ◽  
Jia Shi ◽  
Yao Yao

AbstractIn this paper, we show that the only solution of the vortex sheet equation, either stationary or uniformly rotating with negative angular velocity $$\Omega $$ Ω , such that it has positive vorticity and is concentrated in a finite disjoint union of smooth curves with finite length is the trivial one: constant vorticity amplitude supported on a union of nested, concentric circles. The proof follows a desingularization argument and a calculus of variations flavor.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 943
Author(s):  
Henryk Kudela

In this paper, the motion of the n-vortex system as it collapses to a point in finite time is studied. The motion of vortices is described by the set of ordinary differential equations that we are able to solve analytically. The explicit formula for the solution demands the initial location of collapsing vortices. To find the collapsing locations of vortices, the algebraic, nonlinear system of equations was built. The solution of that algebraic system was obtained using Newton’s procedure. A good initial iterate needs to be provided to succeed in the application of Newton’s procedure. An unconstrained Leverber–Marquart optimization procedure was used to find such a good initial iterate. The numerical studies were conducted, and numerical evidence was presented that if in a collapsing system n=50 point vortices include a few vortices with much greater intensities than the others in the set, the vortices with weaker intensities organize themselves onto the vortex sheet. The collapsing locations depend on the value of the Hamiltonian. By changing the Hamiltonian values in a specific interval, the collapsing curves can be obtained. All points on the collapse curves with the same Hamiltonian value represent one collapsing system of vortices. To show the properties of vortex sheets created by vortices, the passive tracers were used. Advection of tracers by the velocity induced by vortices was calculated by solving the proper differential equations. The vortex sheets are an impermeable barrier to inward and outward fluxes of tracers. Arising vortex structures are able to transport the passive tracers. In this paper, several examples showing the diversity of collapsing structures with the vortex sheet are presented. The collapsing phenomenon of many vortices, their ability to self organize and the transportation of the passive tracers are novelties in the context of point vortex dynamics.


1997 ◽  
Vol 345 ◽  
pp. 101-131
Author(s):  
M. D. KUNKA ◽  
M. R. FOSTER

Because of the importance of oscillatory components in the oncoming flow at certain oceanic topographic features, we investigate the oscillatory flow past a circular cylinder in an homogeneous rotating fluid. When the oncoming flow is non-reversing, and for relatively low-frequency oscillations, the modifications to the equivalent steady flow arise principally in the ‘quarter layer’ on the surface of the cylinder. An incipient-separation criterion is found as a limitation on the magnitude of the Rossby number, as in the steady-flow case. We present exact solutions for a number of asymptotic cases, at both large frequency and small nonlinearity. We also report numerical solutions of the nonlinear quarter-layer equation for a range of parameters, obtained by a temporal integration. Near the rear stagnation point of the cylinder, we find a generalized velocity ‘plateau’ similar to that of the steady-flow problem, in which all harmonics of the free-stream oscillation may be present. Further, we determine that, for certain initial conditions, the boundary-layer flow develops a finite-time singularity in the neighbourhood of the rear stagnation point.


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