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What happens to the critical layer when the transition inducing mechanism in the swirling flow in an annulus shifts from Tollmien-Schlichting's to Taylor's

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There are two distinct physical mechanisms that can induce transition in the class of fully developed swirling flows in an annulus, viz. the Tollmien-Schlichting and the Taylor mechanisms. The former is expected to dominate when the flow is maintained primarily by the imposed axial pressure gradient, and the latter to govern when it is rotation of the inner cylinder. There are several distinguishing physical features between these mechanisms, a salient one of which is the formation of a critical layer in the Tollmien-Schlichting mechanism and the absence of such a layer in the Taylor mechanism. The work submitted herewith for presentation at ETC 14 is an attempt to answer the question posed in the title. The study is done through investigation into characteristics of small-amplitude disturbance propagation conducted through application in parallel of both analytical and numerical techniques.

Author(s):

Venkatesa Iyengar Vasanta Ram    
Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum
Germany

Jeanette Hussong    
Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum
Germany

Nikolaus Jeromin    
Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum
Germany