Nonlinear sinusoidal and varicose instability in the boundary layer (review)

Journal article, 2004

Results of studying sinusoidal and varicose instabilities of streaky structures at the nonlinear stage of the laminar-turbulent process in shear flows are presented. The flow behavior in the course of spatial evolution of streaky structures with a secondary high-frequency disturbance generated on them is discussed. Various scenarios of origination and development of coherent vortex structures examined in physical and numerical experiments are considered. Specific features of the development of sinusoidal and varicose cases of destruction of the steady streamwise streaky structure are demonstrated, such as transverse and streamwise modulation of the structure by the secondary-disturbance frequency, appearance of new streaky structures in the downstream direction, and emergence and evolution of unsteady Λ-type structures localized in space in both cases.