Publication Date:
1984-07-01
Description:
Smith & Townsend's (1982) experimental data on circular Couette flow are re examined in the framework of surface layer similarity theory. Surface layer similarity of horizontally stratified shear flow is shown to have its counterpart in a narrow gap Couette flow between concentric cylinders. Smith & Townsend's data of mean angular momentum and mean velocity profiles in a region near a cylinder lend support to the applicability of Monin Obukhov similarity to circular Couette flow. Only for flows of very high Reynolds numbers is a region of logarithmic variation of mean profiles found close to the cylinder wall. Because of curvature effects on the flow, the mean profiles deviate from the logarithmic profile as distance from the cylinder wall increases. For flows of sufficiently low Reynolds number, but still very high Taylor number, no logarithmic profile seems to exist; instead, profiles in the viscous region and in the outer region are connected to each other by a ‘ free convection (rotation) ’ profile. From Smith & Townsend’s data the velocity field is not observed to follow the prediction of ‘free-convection’ similarity; however, the ‘free-convection’ profile is found in the distribution of mean angular momentum. © 1984, Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved.
Print ISSN:
0022-1120
Electronic ISSN:
1469-7645
Topics:
Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Production Engineering, Mining and Metallurgy, Traffic Engineering, Precision Mechanics
,
Physics
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