Splitting and merging of Görtler vortices

Abstract

The splitting and merging of Görtler vortices are experimentally studied by varying the spacings of vertical wires located 10mm upstream of a concave surface leading edge of 2.0m radius of curvature subjected to a free-stream velocity of 3.0m/s. The splitting and merging as the result of the linear instability of the vortices with respect to spanwise perturbation (Eckhaus instability), occurred when the wire spacing was set to respectively twice and half of the dominant or most amplified wavelength of Görtler vortices. These show the susceptibility of Görtler vortices to wavelengths greater and smaller than the most amplified wavelength of the vortices. The spectral study shows that the values of the dimensionless frequency parameter for the wire spacings of 7.5, 15.0, and 30.0mm are nearly constant (of about 0.5) for the streamwise locations where the mushroom-like structures dominate the flow. It is also found that the dimensionless wavelength parameter is more sensitive than the Reynolds number of the vertical wires as a threshold identification of transition from one pair to two pairs of vortex configurations. © 2005 American Institute of Physics.