ON THE SPATIAL EVOLUTION OF CENTRIFUGAL INSTABILITIES WITHIN CURVED INCOMPRESSIBLE MIXING LAYERS

It is known that certain configurations which possess curvature are pr one to a class of instabilities which their 'flat' counterparts will n ot support. The main thrust of the study of these centrifugal instabil ities has concentrated on curved solid boundaries and their effect on the fluid motion. In this article attention is shifted towards a fluid -fluid interface observed within a curved incompressible mixing layer. Experimental evidence is available to support the conjecture that thi s situation may be subject to centrifugal instabilities. The evolution of modes with wavelengths comparable with the layer's thickness is co nsidered within moderately curved mixing layers. The high Taylor/Gortl er number regime is also discussed which characterizes the ultimate fa te of the modes.