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Turbulent bursts and torque maxima in Taylor-Couette flow

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In Taylor-Couette flow with sufficiently strong counter-rotating cylinders, the turbulence near the outer cylinder shows intermittent
oscillations in form of turbulent bursts. We present this phenomenon in direct numerical simulations for radius ratios  eta = 0.5
and 0.71 and identify a critical value in the rotation ratio  for its onset. We propose a physical model for this critical value that also
rationalizes the observed agreement with the rotation ratio of the torque maximum. While this model conforms well with the observations
for these radius ratios, it most likely has to be refined or replaced for eta -> 1, as further simulations for  eta >= 0.9 show.

Author(s):

Hannes J. Brauckmann    
Fachbereich Physik, Philipps-Universität Marburg
Germany

Bruno Eckhardt    
Fachbereich Physik, Philipps-Universität Marburg
Germany