Dynamics of a flat cavity in a low-viscosity liquid

Abstract

The problem of the motion of a cavity in a plane-parallel flow of an ideal liquid, taking account of surface tension, was first discussed in [1], in which an exact equation was obtained describing the equilibrium form of the cavity. In [2] an analysis was made of this equation, and, in a particular case, the existence of an analytical solution was demonstrated. Articles [3, 4] give the results of numerical solutions. In the present article, the cavity is defined by an infinite set of generalized coordinates, and Lagrange equations determining the dynamics of the cavity are given in explicit form. The problem discussed in [1–4] is reduced to the problem of seeking a minimum of a function of an infinite number of variables. The explicit form of this function is found. In distinction from [1–4], on the basis of the Lagrauge equations, a study is also made of the unsteady-state motion of the cavity. The dynamic equations are generalized for the case of a cavity moving in a heavy viscous liquid with surface tension at large Reynolds numbers. Under these circumstances, the steady-state motion of the cavity is determined from an infinite system of algebraic equations written in explicit form. An exact solution of the dynamic equations is obtained for an elliptical cavity in the case of an ideal liquid. An approximation of the cavity by an ellipse is used to find the approximate analytical dependence of the Weber number on the deformation, and a comparison is made with numerical calculations [3, 4]. The problem of the motion of an elliptical cavity is considered in a manner analogous to the problem of an ellipsoidal cavity for an axisymmetric flow [5, 6]. In distinction from [6], the equilibrium form of a flat cavity in a heavy viscous liquid becomes unstable if the ratio of the axes of the cavity is greater than 2.06.