Abstract
The nonaxisymmetric linear stability of spherical Couette flow is investigated numerically when the ratio of gap width to inner sphere radius (R2 - R1)/R1 = 0.5. The basic flow becomes unstable at Rec = 1245 and the associated azimuthal wave number is nc = 5, which agrees remarkably well with the experimental results by Egbers and Rath [Acta Mech. 81, 3 (1990)]. The marginal mode is oscillatory and has a distinctive wavy structure around the equator and spirals extended in each hemisphere. Sufficiently large spatial resolution is found to be required in order to avoid serious underestimation of the critical Reynolds number.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1197-1199 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | Physics of Fluids |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Apr 1997 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Computational Mechanics
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Mechanics of Materials
- Mechanical Engineering
- Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes
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Araki, K., Mizushima, J., & Yanase, S. (1997). The nonaxisymmetric instability of the wide-gap spherical Couette flow. Physics of Fluids, 9(4), 1197-1199. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.869177