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The dynamics of driven rotating flow in stadium-shaped domains

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 April 2006

J. J. Kobine
Affiliation:
Atmospheric Physics, Department of Physics, Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PU, UK
T. Mullin
Affiliation:
Atmospheric Physics, Department of Physics, Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PU, UK
T. J. Price
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Physique Statistique, Ecole Normale Supérieure, 24 rue Lhomond, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France

Abstract

Results are presented from an experimental investigation of the dynamics of driven rotating flows in stadium-shaped domains. The work was motivated by questions concerning the typicality of low-dimensional dynamical phenomena which are found in Taylor-Couette flow between rotating circular cylinders. In such a system, there is continuous azimuthal symmetry and travelling-wave solutions are found. In the present study, this symmetry is broken by replacing the stationary outer circular cylinder with one which has a stadium-shaped cross-section. Thus there is now only discrete symmetry in the azimuthal direction, and travelling waves are no longer observed. To begin with, the two-dimensional flow field was investigated using numerical techniques. This was followed by an experimental study of the dynamics of flow in systems with finite vertical extent. Configurations involving both right-circular and tapered inner cylinders were considered. Dynamics were observed which correspond to known mechanisms from the theory of finite-dimensional dynamical systems. However, flow behaviour was also observed which cannot be classified in this way. Thus it is concluded that while certain low-dimensional dynamical phenomena do persist with breaking of the continuous azimuthal symmetry embodied in the Taylor-Couette system, sufficient reduction of symmetry admits behaviour at moderately low Reynolds number which is without any low-dimensional characteristics.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 1995 Cambridge University Press

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