Solitary waves on falling liquid films in the inertia-dominated regime

We offer new insights and results on the hydrodynamics of solitary waves on inertia-dominated falling liquid films using a combination of experimental measurements, direct numerical simulations (DNS) and low-dimensional (LD) modelling. The DNS are shown to be in very good agreement with experimental measurements in terms of the main wave characteristics and velocity profiles over the entire range of investigated Reynolds numbers. And, surprisingly, the LD model is found to predict accurately the film height even for inertia-dominated films with high Reynolds numbers. Based on a detailed analysis of the flow field within the liquid film, the hydrodynamic mechanism responsible for a constant, or even reducing, maximum film height when the Reynolds number increases above a critical value is identified, and reasons why no flow reversal is observed underneath the wave trough above a critical Reynolds number are proposed. The saturation of the maximum film height is shown to be linked to a reduced effective inertia acting on the solitary waves as a result of flow recirculation in the main wave hump and in the moving frame of reference. Nevertheless, the velocity profile at the crest of the solitary waves remains parabolic and self-similar even after the onset of flow recirculation. The upper limit of the Reynolds number with respect to flow reversal is primarily the result of steeper solitary waves at high Reynolds numbers, which leads to larger streamwise pressure gradients that counter flow reversal. Our results should be of interest in the optimisation of the heat and mass transport characteristics of falling liquid films and can also serve as a benchmark for future model development

Experimental Investigations of Capillary Effects on Nonlinear Free-Surface Waves

This thesis presents the results of three experiments on various aspects of the effects of surface tension on nonlinear free-surface waves. The first two experiments focus on capillary effects on the breaking of short-wavelength gravity waves, a problem of interest in areas of physical oceanography and remote sensing. The third experiment is concerned with the bifurcation of solitary capillary-gravity waves, a problem that is relevant in the study of nonlinear, dispersive wave systems. In the first set of experiments, streamwise profile measurements were made of spilling breakers at the point of incipient breaking. Both wind-waves and mechanically generated waves were investigated in this study, with gravity wavelengths in the range of 10--120 cm. Although it has been previously argued that the crest shape is dependent only on the surface tension, the results reported herein are to the contrary as several geometrical parameters used to describe the crest change significantly with the wavelength. However, the non-dimensional crest shape is self-similar, with two-shape parameters that depend on a measure of the local wave slope. This self-similarity persists over the entire range of wavelengths and breaker conditions measured, indicating a universal behavior in the near-crest dynamics that is independent of the method used to generate the wave. The measured wave slope is found to be related to the wave growth rate and phase-speed prior to breaking, a result that contributes towards the development of a breaking criterion for unsteady capillary-gravity waves. The second set of experiments examines the cross-stream surface structure in the turbulent breaking zone generated by short-wavelength breakers. Waves in this study were generated using a mechanical wedge and ranged in wavelength from 80--120 cm. To isolate the effects of surface tension on the flow, the important experimental parameters were adjusted to produce Froude-scaled, dispersively-focused wave packets. The results show the development of ``quasi''-2D streamwise ripples along with smaller cross-stream ripples that grow as breaking develops and can become comparable in amplitude to the streamwise ripples for larger breakers. It is found that the amplitude of the cross-stream surface ripples scale as \bar{&lambda}^3, where \bar{&lambda} is the average wavelength of the wave packet. The cross-stream ripple activity appears to be highest in the ``troughs'' of the larger streamwise ripples, with the appearance of persistent ``scar''-like features. Based on these observations, a simple model for the coupling between the vorticity and capillary structure in the breaking zone is conjectured. The third set of experiments focuses on the generation of capillary-gravity waves by a pressure source moving near the minimum phase speed cmin. Near this minimum, nonlinear capillary-gravity solitary waves, or ``lumps'', have been shown to exist theoretically. We identify an abrupt transition to a wave-like state that features a localized solitary wave that trails the pressure forcing. This trailing wave is steady, fully localized in 3D, elongated in the cross-stream relative to the streamwise direction, and has a one-to-one relationship between height and phase speed. All of these characterisitics are commensurate with the freely propogating ``lumps'' computed by previous authors, and a quantitative comparison between these previous numerical calculations and the current experiments is presented. At speeds closer to cmin, a new time-dependent state is observed that can qualitatively be described by the shedding of solitary depressions from the tips of a ``V''-shaped pattern. These results are discussed in conjunction with a new theoretical model for these waves that employs nonlinear and viscous effects, both of which are crucial in capturing the salient features of the surface response. While discussed in the context of water waves, these results have applicaiton to other wave systems where nonlinear and dispersive effects are important

Finite depth effects on solitary waves in a floating ice sheet

A theoretical and numerical study of two-dimensional nonlinear flexural-gravity waves propagating at the surface of an ideal fluid of finite depth, covered by a thin ice sheet, is presented. The ice-sheet model is based on the special Cosserat theory of hyperelastic shells satisfying Kirchhoff׳s hypothesis, which yields a conservative and nonlinear expression for the bending force. From a Hamiltonian reformulation of the governing equations, two weakly nonlinear wave models are derived: a 5th-order Korteweg–de Vries equation in the long-wave regime and a cubic nonlinear Schrödinger equation in the modulational regime. Solitary wave solutions of these models and their stability are analysed. In particular, there is a critical depth below which the nonlinear Schrödinger equation is of focusing type and thus admits stable soliton solutions. These weakly nonlinear results are validated by comparison with direct numerical simulations of the full governing equations. It is observed numerically that small- to large-amplitude solitary waves of depression are stable. Overturning waves of depression are also found for low wave speeds and sufficiently large depth. However, solitary waves of elevation seem to be unstable in all cases

Elliptic equations with transmission and Wentzell boundary conditions and an application to steady water waves in the presence of wind

In this paper, we present results about the existence and uniqueness of solutions of elliptic equations with transmission and Wentzell boundary conditions. We provide Schauder estimates and existence results in H\"older spaces. As an application, we develop an existence theory for small-amplitude two-dimensional traveling waves in an air-water system with surface tension. The water region is assumed to be irrotational and of finite depth, and we permit a general distribution of vorticity in the atmosphere.Comment: 33 page

Instability and dripping of electrified liquid films flowing down inverted substrates

We consider the gravity-driven flow of a perfect dielectric, viscous, thin liquid film, wetting a flat substrate inclined at a nonzero angle to the horizontal. The dynamics of the thin film is influenced by an electric field which is set up parallel to the substrate surface—this nonlocal physical mechanism has a linearly stabilizing effect on the interfacial dynamics. Our particular interest is in fluid films that are hanging from the underside of the substrate; these films may drip depending on physical parameters, and we investigate whether a sufficiently strong electric field can suppress such nonlinear phenomena. For a non-electrified flow, it was observed by Brun et al. [Phys. Fluids 27, 084107 (2015)] that the thresholds of linear absolute instability and dripping are reasonably close. In the present study, we incorporate an electric field and analyze the absolute and convective instabilities of a hierarchy of reduced-order models to predict the dripping limit in parameter space. The spatial stability results for the reduced-order models are verified by performing an impulse-response analysis with direct numerical simulations (DNS) of the Navier–Stokes equations coupled to the appropriate electrical equations. Guided by the results of the linear theory, we perform DNS on extended domains with inflow and outflow conditions (mimicking an experimental setup) to investigate the dripping limit for both non-electrified and electrified liquid films. For the latter, we find that the absolute instability threshold provides an order-of-magnitude estimate for the electric-field strength required to suppress dripping; the linear theory may thus be used to determine the feasibility of dripping suppression given a set of geometrical, fluid, and electrical parameters

Free surface flows over submerged obstructions

Steady and unsteady two-dimensional free surface flows subjected to one or multiple disturbances are considered. Flow configurations involving either a single fluid or two layers of fluid of different but constant densities, are examined. Both the effects of gravity and surface tension are included. Fully nonlinear boundary integral equation techniques based on Cauchy’s integral formula are used to derive integro-differential equations to model the problem. The integro-differential equations are discretised and solved iteratively using Newton’s method. Both forced solitary waves and critical flow solutions, where the flow upstream is subcritical and downstream is supercritical, are obtained. The behaviour of the forced wave is determined by the Froude and Bond numbers and the orientation of the disturbance. When a second disturbance is placed upstream in the pure gravity critical case, trapped waves have been found between the disturbances. However, when surface tension is included, trapped waves are shown only to exist for very small values of the Bond number. Instead, it is shown that the disturbance must be placed downstream in the gravity-capillary case to see trapped waves. The stability of these critical hydraulic fall solutions is examined. It is shown that the hydraulic fall is stable, but the trapped wave solutions are only stable in the pure gravity case. Critical, flexural-gravity flows, where a thin sheet of ice rests on top of the fluid are then considered. The flows in the flexural-gravity and gravity-capillary cases are shown to be similar. These similarities are investigated, and the physical significance of both configurations, examined. When two fluids are considered, the situation is more complex. The rigid lid approximation is assumed, and four types of critical flow are investigated. Trapped wave solutions are found to exist in some cases, depending on the Froude number in the lower layer

Nonlinear dynamics of three-dimensional solitary waves

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2010.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 105-108).In problems of dispersive wave propagation governed by two distinct restoring-force mechanisms, the phase speed of linear sinusoidal wavetrains may feature a minimum, cmin, at non-zero wavenumber, kmin. Examples include waves on the surface of a liquid in the presence of both gravity and surface tension, flexural waves on a floating ice sheet, in which case capillarity is replaced by the flexural rigidity of the ice, and internal gravity waves in layered flows in the presence of interfacial tension. The focus here is on deep-water gravity-capillary waves, where cmin = 23 cm/s with corresponding wavelength Amin = 27r/kmin = 1.71 cm. In this instance, ignoring viscous dissipation, cmin is known to be the bifurcation point of two-dimensional (plane) and three-dimensional (fully localized) solitary waves, often referred to as "lumps"; these are nonlinear disturbances that propagate at speeds below cmin without change of shape owing to a perfect balance between the opposing effects of wave dispersion and nonlinear steepening. Moreover, Cmin is a critical forcing speed, as the linear inviscid response to external forcing moving at Cmin grows unbounded in time, and nonlinear effects as well as viscous dissipation are expected to play important parts near this resonance. In the present thesis, various aspects of the dynamics of gravity-capillary lumps are investigated theoretically. Specifically, it is shown that steep gravity-capillary lumps of depression can propagate stably and they are prominent nonlinear features of the forced response near resonant conditions, in agreement with companion experiment for the generation of gravity-capillary lumps on deep water. These findings are relevant to the generation of ripples by wind and to the wave drag associated with the motion of small bodies on a free surface.by Yeunwoo Cho.Ph.D