skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Nonlinear evolution of the Rayleigh-Taylor and Richtmyer-Meshkov instabilities

Conference ·

Scaled experiments on the nonlinear evolution of the Rayleigh- Taylor (RT) and Richtmyer-Meshkov (RM) instabilities are described under a variety, of conditions that occur in nature. At high Reynolds number, the mixing layer grows self-similarly - {alpha}{sub i}Agt{sup 2} for a constant acceleration (g), and as a power law t{sup {theta}{sub i}} for impulsive accelerations U{delta}(t) at low and high Mach numbers. The growth coefficients {alpha}{sub i} and {theta}{sub i} exponents are measured over a comprehensive range of Atwood numbers A. The RT instability is also investigated with Non- Newtonian materials which are independently characterized. A critical wavelength and amplitude for instability is observed associated with the shear modulus and tensile yield of the material. The results are applicable from supernova explosions to geophysical flows subject to these hydrodynamic instabilities.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Defense Programs (DP)
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-Eng-48
OSTI ID:
5773
Report Number(s):
UCRL-JC-132439; DP0210000; ON: DE00005773
Resource Relation:
Journal Volume: 6; Journal Issue: 5; Conference: American Physical Society 40th Annual Meeting of the Division of Plasma Physics, New Orlean, LA, November 16-20, 1998
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (62)

Simple model for the turbulent mixing width at an ablating surface journal February 1996
Bubble competition in Rayleigh–Taylor instability journal January 1988
Hot, diamagnetic cavities upstream from the Earth's bow shock journal January 1986
Experimental investigation of Richtmyer–Meshkov instability in shock tube journal February 1996
Molecular mixing in Rayleigh–Taylor instability journal April 1994
The nonlinear breakup of a magnetic layer: instability to interchange modes journal November 1988
Large and Small Scale Structure in Rayleigh-Taylor Mixing journal April 1998
Stability of plasmas confined by magnetic fields journal May 1957
Supernova 1987A journal September 1989
A numerical study of bubble interactions in Rayleigh–Taylor instability for compressible fluids journal November 1990
Turbulent Richtmyer–Meshkov instability experiments with strong radiatively driven shocks journal December 1997
Numerical Investigation of the Stability of a Shock-Accelerated Interface between Two Fluids journal January 1972
Validation of the Sharp–Wheeler bubble merger model from experimental and computational data journal January 1988
Small amplitude theory of Richtmyer–Meshkov instability journal May 1994
Behaviour of Laser-Produced Plasma in a Uniform Magnetic Field–Plasma Instabilities journal January 1981
Large-Larmor-radius interchange instability journal November 1987
Turbulent Rayleigh-Taylor instability experiments with variable acceleration journal October 1996
Families of salt Domes in the gulf Coastal Province journal August 1966
Richtmyer–Meshkov instability with strong radiatively driven shocks journal February 1996
Rayleigh–Taylor stability for a normal shock wave–density discontinuity interaction journal January 1986
Comparative study of viscoelastic properties using virgin yogurt journal July 1998
Stability of sub‐Alfvénic plasma expansions journal July 1990
Potential flow models of Rayleigh–Taylor and Richtmyer–Meshkov bubble fronts journal December 1994
Analytical Solutions of Layzer-Type Approach to Unstable Interfacial Fluid Mixing journal October 1998
Experiments on the Richtmyer–Meshkov instability: Small‐scale perturbations on a plane interface journal April 1993
Weakly nonlinear hydrodynamic instabilities in inertial fusion journal August 1991
Nonlinear Rayleigh-Taylor Evolution of a Three-Dimensional Multimode Perturbation journal May 1998
The Aleutian Arc: Tectonic blocks, episodic subduction, strain diffusion, and magma generation journal January 1977
Dynamics of exploding plasmas in a magnetic field journal September 1991
Further experimentation on Taylor instability in solids journal September 1980
A numerical study of three‐dimensional bubble merger in the Rayleigh–Taylor instability journal February 1996
A linear electric motor to study turbulent hydrodynamics journal January 1996
A k ‐ε model for turbulent mixing in shock‐tube flows induced by Rayleigh–Taylor instability journal September 1990
Nonlinear evolution of multimode Rayleigh–Taylor instability in two and three dimensions journal June 1995
A simple experiment to investigate two‐dimensional mixing by Rayleigh–Taylor instability journal June 1990
Instability of accelerated elastic metal plates journal January 1998
Observations and theory of the AMPTE magnetotail barium releases journal January 1987
Nonlinear Perturbation Theory of the Incompressible Richtmyer-Meshkov Instability journal April 1996
Radiation driven planar foil instability and mix experiments at the AWE HELEN laser journal January 1990
Electromagnetic Implosion of Spherical Liner journal January 1995
Experimental investigation into inertial properties of Rayleigh–Taylor turbulence journal March 1997
A two‐phase flow model of the Rayleigh–Taylor mixing zone journal March 1996
Power Laws and Similarity of Rayleigh-Taylor and Richtmyer-Meshkov Mixing Fronts at All Density Ratios journal January 1995
Interchange stability of an axisymmetric, average minimum-B magnetic mirror journal January 1983
Acceleration instability in elastic‐plastic solids. II. Analytical techniques journal October 1989
Acceleration instability in elastic‐plastic solids. I. Numerical simulations of plate acceleration journal October 1989
Three‐dimensional numerical simulation of turbulent mixing by Rayleigh–Taylor instability journal May 1991
Three-dimensional simulations and analysis of the nonlinear stage of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability journal September 1995
Analytic theory of Richtmyer–Meshkov instability for the case of reflected rarefaction wave journal June 1996
Molecular mixing in Rayleigh–Taylor instability. Part I: Global mixing journal May 1991
Instability of the interface of two gases accelerated by a shock wave journal January 1972
Study of three‐dimensional Rayleigh–Taylor instability in compressible fluids through level set method and parallel computation journal August 1993
The instability of liquid surfaces when accelerated in a direction perpendicular to their planes. I journal March 1950
Two‐phase flow analysis of self‐similar turbulent mixing by Rayleigh–Taylor instability journal May 1991
Rayleigh-Taylor Instability in Elastic-Plastic Materials journal February 1998
A numerical study of Richtmyer–Meshkov instability in continuously stratified fluids journal February 1993
Statistical Evolution of Chaotic Fluid Mixing journal January 1998
Experiments on the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability of an air/SF6 interface journal March 1995
The intrusion of fluid mechanics into geology journal December 1986
Island Arc Development: Some Observations, Experiments, and Speculations journal November 1979
On the Instability of Superposed Fluids in a Gravitational Field. journal July 1955
Rayleigh–Taylor stability criteria for elastic-plastic solid plates and shells journal July 1997

Similar Records

Nonlinear evolution of the Rayleigh{endash}Taylor and Richtmyer{endash}Meshkov instabilities
Journal Article · Sat May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1999 · Physics of Plasmas · OSTI ID:5773

An Experimental Study of the Turbulent Development of Rayleigh-Taylor and Richtmyer-Meshkov Instabilities
Other · Mon Oct 30 00:00:00 EST 2006 · OSTI ID:5773

Power Laws and Similarity of Rayleigh-Taylor and Richtmyer-Meshkov Mixing Fronts at All Density Ratios
Journal Article · Mon Jan 23 00:00:00 EST 1995 · Physical Review Letters; (United States) · OSTI ID:5773