Corner flow: a classical problem with a new twist

Abstract

An informal review is presented of the problem of viscous flow in ac orner between two intersecting plane rigid boundaries, with particular attention to the behaviour (i) when the stirring that generates the flow is remote and sinusoidal, and (ii) when the stirring is provoked by torsional oscillation of the fluid domain about the line of intersection of the two boundaries. In each case, weak inertial effects lead to a lag of the response of the fluid behind the forcing mechanism. Conditions determining the existence and evolution of a geometric sequence of eddies in the corner are determined, and the manner in which the associated streamline pattern reverses during each half-period of the flow is described. Full details may be found in the recent paper of Branicki & Moffatt (2006) 1) .