
Clustering and collisions of heavy particles in random smooth flows
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The aeroacoustics of a steam kettle
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The whistle in a steam kettle provides a near-perfect example of a hole tone system, in which two orifice plates are held a short distance apart in a cylindrical duct. This setup leads to distinct audible tones for a large range of flow rates. The main objective of the current paper is to understand the physical mechanism behind the generation of hole tones (whistling of steam kettles). A variety of experiments were undertaken, primarily focusing on how the acoustics of the hole tone system varied depending on the flow rate, whistle geometry, and upstream duct length. These were supplemented by flow visualisation experiments using water. The results show that the whistle's behaviour is divided into two regions of operation. The first, occurring at Reynolds numbers (based on orifice diameter and jet velocity) below Reδ ≈ 2000, exhibits a near-constant frequency behaviour. A mathematical model based on a Helmholtz resonator has been developed for this part of the mechanism. The second, for Reynolds numbers greater than Reδ ≈ 2000, the whistle exhibits a constant Strouhal number behaviour. A physical model has been developed to describe this part of the mechanism where the resonant modes of the upstream duct are coupled with the vortex shedding at the jet exit.
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Exotic states of bouncing and walking droplets
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We present the results of an integrated experimental and theoretical investigation of droplets bouncing on a vibrating fluid bath. A comprehensive series of experiments provides the most detailed characterisation to date of the system's dependence on fluid properties, droplet size, and vibrational forcing. A number of new bouncing and walking states are reported, including complex periodic and aperiodic motions. Particular attention is given to the first characterisation of the different gaits arising within the walking regime. In addition to complex periodic walkers and limping droplets, we highlight a previously unreported mixed state, in which the droplet switches periodically between two distinct walking modes. Our experiments are complemented by a theoretical study based on our previous developments [J. Molacek and J. W. M. Bush, J. Fluid Mech.727, 582–611 (Year: 2013);10.1017/jfm.2013.279J. Molacek and J. W. M. Bush, J. Fluid Mech.727, 612–647 (Year: 2013)]10.1017/jfm.2013.280, which provide a basis for rationalising all observed bouncing and walking states.
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How linear is wall-bounded turbulence?
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The relevance of Orr's inviscid mechanism to the transient amplification of disturbances in shear flows is explored in the context of bursting in the logarithmic layer of wall-bounded turbulence. The linearized problem for the wall normal velocity is first solved in the limit of small viscosity for a uniform shear and for a channel with turbulent-like profile, and compared with the quasiperiodic bursting of fully turbulent simulations in boxes designed to be minimal for the logarithmic layer. Many properties, such as time and length scales, energy fluxes between components, and inclination angles, agree well between the two systems. However, once advection by the mean flow is subtracted, the directly computed linear component of the turbulent acceleration is found to be a small part of the total. The temporal correlations of the different quantities in turbulent bursts imply that the classical model, in which the wall-normal velocities are generated by the breakdown of the streamwise-velocity streaks, is a better explanation than the purely autonomous growth of linearized bursts. It is argued that the best way to reconcile both lines of evidence is that the disturbances produced by the streak breakdown are amplified by an Orr-like transient process drawing energy directly from the mean shear, rather than from the velocity gradients of the nonlinear streak. This, for example, obviates the problem of why the cross-stream velocities do not decay once the streak has broken down.
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Vortex breakdown in a water-spout flow
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The numerical study of the steady axisymmetric air-water flow in a vertical sealed cylinder, driven by the rotating top disk, describes topological transformations as the rotation intensifies. The air meridional flow (AMF) and swirl induce meridional motions of opposite directions in water. For slow (fast) rotation, the effect of AMF (swirl) dominates. For very fast rotation, large-scale regions of clockwise meridional circulation in air and water are separated by a thin layer of anticlockwise circulation adjacent to the interface in water. This pattern develops for other fluids as well. Physical reasoning behind the flow evolution is provided.
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