SMOOTH TRANSITION TO A CONVECTIVE REGIME IN A TWO-DIMENSIONAL BOX

P. Hall, I. C. Walton

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

51 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The fluid motion in a two-dimensional box heated from below is considered. The horizontal surfaces are taken to be free and isothermal while the sidewalls are first taken to be rigid and perfect insulators. Linear stability theory shows that the critical Rayleigh number for the onset of convection higher than that when no side walls are present and the eigenvalue spectrum is discrete. Finite amplitude theory shows that the onset of convection is sudden. The effect of allowing the sidewalls to be slightly imperfect insulators is also investigated.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)199-221
Number of pages23
JournalProceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series A: Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Volume358
Issue number1693
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 1978
Externally publishedYes

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