On the evolution of centrifugal instabilities within curved incompressible mixing layers

摘要

It is known that certain configurations which possess curvature are prone to a class of instabilities which their 'flat' counterparts will not support. The main thrust of the study of these centrifugal instabilities has concentrated on curved solid boundaries and their effect on the fluid motion. In this article attention is shifted towards a fluid-fluid interface observed within a curved incompressible mixing layer. Experimental evidence is available to support the conjecture that this situation may be subjected to centrifugal instabilities. The evolution of modes with wavelengths comparable with the layer's thickness is considered and the high Taylor/Gortler number regime is also discussed which characterizes the ultimate fate of the modes.