Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 January 2016
In various studies involving subsonic transition cavity flows, terms like ‘transitional-open’ and ‘transitional-closed’ cavity flow regimes are used in the literature. However, the exact fluid dynamic criteria to distinguish them have not been firmly established. The present work attempts to clarify this. Experiments to measure static pressure and fluctuating pressure distribution in a rectangular cavity with length-to-depth (L/D) ratio of 3 to 20 were performed. Based on pressure measurements on the front, bottom and rear faces of the cavity, additional criteria are established to clearly distinguish the range of critical L/D (or (L/D)cri) where these different transitional cavity flow regimes occur. The present work ascertains that the (L/D)cri for open and transitional-open cavity flow is 6·0-6·5, for transitional-open and transitional-closed cavity flow is 9-10 and for transitional-closed and closed cavity flow is 14-15. Flow visualisation qualitatively supports the flow pattern in the different cavity flow regimes.