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Evolution Instability and Growth Competition Study on Langmuir Circulation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 May 2011

R.-Y. Yang,
C.-M. Liu,
H.-H. Hwung and
C.-H. Kong
R.-Y. Yang*
Affiliation:
Research Center of Ocean Environment and Technology, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan 70101, R.O.C.
C.-M. Liu*
Affiliation:
General Education Center, Chienkuo Technology University, Changhua City, Taiwan 50094, R.O.C.
H.-H. Hwung*
Affiliation:
Department of Hydraulic and Ocean Engineering, Research Center of Ocean Environment and Technology, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan 70101, R.O.C.
C.-H. Kong*
Affiliation:
Department of Engineering Science and Ocean Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan 10617, R.O.C.
*
* Associate Director, corresponding author
** Associate Professor
*** Professor
*** Professor
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Abstract

Langmuir circulation that has been disturbed by a perturbed source in a horizontal Couette flow with a vertical density gradient (i.e., the effective Rayleigh number R) and horizontal Couette flow is investigated. The evolution of instability developing in the presence of a vertical density gradient influenced by the disturbance at various depths and the horizontal Couette flow is considered near the onset of convection under a moderate rate of shear. We use velocity as the basic variable and solve the pressure Poisson equation in terms of the associated Green function. Growth competition between the longitudinal vortices (Lv) and the transverse vortices (Tv), whose axes are respectively in the direction parallel to and perpendicular to the Couette flow, is investigated by the weakly nonlinear analysis of coupled-mode equations. The results show that the Tv mode is characterized in some range of the effective Rayleigh number, and that the stability is dominated by the Lv mode in the system.

Keywords

Langmuir circulationPerturbed sourceEvolution instabilityGrowth competitionLongitudinal vorticesTransverse vorticesCoupled-mode equations

Information

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Mechanics , Volume 26 , Issue 2 , June 2010, pp. 135 - 142
Copyright
Copyright © The Society of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, R.O.C. 2010

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