Paper detail

Formation of nonlinear waves in decelerated centrifuges of noncircular cross-section

Planar flows with a free boundary in a partially filled and nonuniformly rotating container, with a strongly noncircular shape of the cross-section, are investigated numerically within the ideal fluid approximation. Vorticity is assumed constant across the fluid, thus allowing us to apply the recently developed, highly efficient numerical method based upon exact equations of motion of the free boundary in terms of conformal variables and on the fast Fourier transform algorithms. It is shown that decelerated rotation of such centrifuge leads to formation of strongly nonlinear breaking waves with sharp crests, and the wave overturning occurs either in the rotation direction or against it, depending on value of the (negative) angular acceleration.