Abstract
Having discussed viscous flows at vanishing Reynolds numbers, we turn our attention to the diametrically opposite limit of inertia-dominated flows at high Reynolds numbers. Examining the changes in the structure of a flow with increasing Reynolds number, we encounter a broad variety of protocols accompanied by a rich phenomenology. In all cases, when the Reynolds number exceeds a critical threshold, flow instability arises and a small-scale turbulent motion is established. The theoretical study of the structure and dynamics of flows at high Reynolds numbers encompasses several complementary topics including potential-flow theory, boundary-layer theory, theory of hydrodynamic stability, theory of turbulent motion, and dynamics of vortex motion. Potential flow was considered in earlier sections; boundary-layer theory, hydrodynamic stability, and turbulent motion will be discussed in this chapter; and vortex motion will be the exclusive topic of Chapter 11.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2001 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Pozrikidis, C. (2001). Flow at high Reynolds numbers. In: Fluid Dynamics. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-3323-5_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-3323-5_10
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-3325-9
Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-3323-5
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive