A problem in the theory of mixing layers

Abstract

The classical problem of the free steady mixing layer which is formed as the result of the interaction between two parallel homogeneous flows which move with different velocities and come into contact in a certain section is considered. Subject to the additional condition that the first derivative of the solution in a class of self-similar functions is positive, a boundary-value problem is studied, for values of the self-similarity index m > 0, which describes the mixing of two viscous streams of the same fluid for m = 1 [1] and for m = 2 [2]. The method of investigation used [3–5] enables the third-order non-linear equation to be reduced to a first-order equation and enables the corresponding solutions (Gz) to be constructed in a parametric form as a function of the values of m. A knowledge of the behaviour of the velocity profile of the main stream can be used to investigate the flow stability. The results obtained form the basis of the subsequent construction of the solution of Lock's problem [6] and the investigation of the uniqueness of the solutions obtained.