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The flow due to an oscillating piston in a cylindrical tube: a comparison between experiment and a simple entrance flow theory

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 March 2006

J. H. Gerrard
Affiliation:
Department of the Mechanics of Fluids, University of Manchester
M. D. Hughes
Affiliation:
Department of the Mechanics of Fluids, University of Manchester

Abstract

The velocity on the axis of a circular tube was measured over a range of distances from a piston reciprocating in simple harmonic motion. These velocities become independent of axial distance sufficiently far from the piston. The method of calculating the developing flow is based on a comparison with steady laminar flow which, in the entry region of a circular tube, approaches the fully developed state exponentially with distance x from the entry. The steady flow is a function of xν/R2u0 where ν is the kinematic viscosity, R is the tube radius and u0 is the entry velocity. It is shown that within the limits of experimental error, an oscillating flow follows the steady flow development if u0 is the instantaneous entry velocity and if the characteristic length is changed from R to the oscillating boundary-layer thickness in the established flow.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 1971 Cambridge University Press

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