COMBINED GRAVITY GRADIENT AND JITTER ACCELERATIONS ACTING ON LIQUID-VAPOR INTERFACE OSCILLATIONS IN REDUCED GRAVITY

The dynamical behavior of fluids affected by the asymmetric combined g ravity gradient and jitter accelerations, in particular the effect of surface tension on partially-filled rotating fluids applicable to a fu ll-scale Gravity Probe-B Spacecraft dewar tank, have been investigated . Three different cases of accelerations, one gravity gradient-dominat ed, one equally weighted between gravity gradient and jitter, and the others gravity jitter-dominated are studied. Results of slosh wave exc itation along the liquid-vapor interface induced by gravity gradient-d ominated acceleration indicate that the gravity gradient-dominated acc eleration is equivalent to the combined effect of a twisting force and torsional moment acting on the spacecraft. Results of the slosh wave excitation along the liquid-vapor interface induced by gravity jitter- dominated acceleration indicate that the gravity jitter-dominated acce leration is equivalent to time-dependent oscillatory forces which push the bubble in the combined directions of down-and-up and sideward-and -middleward as the bubble is rotating with respect to rotating dewar a xis. This study discloses the slosh wave excitation along the liquid-v apor interface driven by the combined effects of gravity gradient and jitter accelerations which are two major driving forces affecting the stability of the fluid system in microgravity.