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Transient dynamics at the onset of Taylor vortices

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 March 2003

J. ABSHAGEN
Affiliation:
Institute for Marine Research, University of Kiel, 24105 Kiel, Germany
O. MEINCKE
Affiliation:
Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics, University of Kiel, 24098 Kiel, Germany
G. PFISTER
Affiliation:
Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics, University of Kiel, 24098 Kiel, Germany
K. A. CLIFFE
Affiliation:
Serco Assurance, Harwell, Didcot Oxon OX11 0QJ, UK
T. MULLIN
Affiliation:
Manchester Centre for Nonlinear Dynamics, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK

Abstract

The effect of boundary conditions on the ‘critical dynamics’ at the onset of Taylor vortices is investigated in a combined numerical and experimental study. Numerical calculations of Navier–Stokes equations with ‘stress-free’ boundary conditions show that the Landau amplitude equation provides a good model of the transient dynamics. However, this rapidly breaks down when the ‘no-slip’ condition is approached. Apparent ‘critical’ behaviour observed in experiments is shown to have a surprising dependence on the length of the system.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2003 Cambridge University Press

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