The effect of confinement on viscous wake flows
Dr. Matthew P. Juniper
University of Cambridge, Dpt. of Engineering, UK
March 26th, 2010
A planar wake flow can be made more unstable when it is confined between two flat plates. An inviscid model explains why this occurs and gives the optimal confinement in terms of the wake thickness. Local and global stability analyses of viscous planar wakes show the same effect, although it is attenuated by viscosity and the presence of boundary layers. In this presentation, local and global stability analyses will be compared in order to highlight the features of the confined wake flow that make it more stable and the features that make it more unstable.