Affiliations: Center for Information Media Studies, Nagoya
University, Furo, Chikusa, Nagoya 464-8603, Japan. e-mail:
watanabe@info.human.nagoya-u.ac.jp | Graduate School of Human Informatics, Nagoya
University, Furo, Chikusa, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan. | Department of Mechanical Engineering, Meijo
University, Shiogamaguchi, Tempaku, Nagoya 468-8502, Japan.
Abstract: Numerical simulation and visualization are performed to investigate
the developing processes of flows between two concentric rotating cylinders.
The length of the cylinders is finite and the end walls are fixed. Initially
the fluid is at rest, and the inner cylinder suddenly begins to rotate. Various
flow modes appear in this flow. Developments of the flow to these modes are
examined and the physical explanation for the transient process is presented.
The processes are classified into some types. At low Reynolds numbers, vortices
begin to grow on end walls. When the Reynolds number is higher, the centrifugal
instability brings first vortices around the mid-plane in the axial direction.
Some final modes are established via an intermediate mode, and some other modes
are attained after merging and vanishing of vortices.
Keywords: developing process of flow, Taylor-Couette flow, impulsive start, Ekman vortex, numerical simulation
