Three-dimensional instabilities arising in open cavity flows are responsible for complex broad-banded dynamics. Existing studies either focus on theoretical properties of ideal simplified flows or observe the final state of experimental flows. This paper aims to establish a connection between the onset of the centrifugal instabilities and their final expression within the fully saturated flow. To that end, a linear three-dimensional modal instability analysis of steady two-dimensional states developing in an open cavity of aspect ratio L/D = 2 (length over depth) is conducted. This analysis is performed together with an experimental study in the same geometry adding spanwise endwalls. Two different Reynolds numbers are investigated through spectral analyses and modal decomposition. The physics of the flow is thoroughly described exploiting the strengths of each methodology. The main flow structures are identified and salient space and time scales are characterised. Results indicate that the structures obtained from linear analysis are mainly consistent with the fully saturated experimental flow. The analysis also brings to light the selection and alteration of certain wave properties, which could be caused by nonlinearities or the change of spanwise boundary conditions.

A theoretical study of linear global instability of incompressible flow over a rectangular spanwise-periodic open cavity in an unconfined domain is presented.Comparisons with the limited number of results available in the literature are shown. Subsequently, the parameter space is scanned in a systematic manner, varying Reynolds number, incoming boundary-layer thickness and length-to-depth aspect ratio. This permits documenting the neutral curves and leading eigenmode characteristics of this flow. Correlations constructed using the results obtained collapse all available theoretical data on the three-dimensional instabilities.

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The problem considered here is that of a parallelepiped-shaped box, partially filled with liquid, that slides on a flat surface. The box is accelerated with a constant acceleration during a given time and then decelerated because of the frictional force. Due to the forces acting on the liquid during both phases (acceleration and deceleration), sloshing of the liquid takes place inside the container and such sloshing effects strongly affect the system dynamics. A simple experimental apparatus has been designed to analyse the sloshing effects and a simple theoretical model for the sloshing phenomenon has been developed. Experimental results obtained in the experimental set-up are presented and compared with theoretical predictions.

A numerical study of the saturation process inside a rectangular open cavity is presented. Previous experiments and linear stability analysis of the problem completely described the flow in its onset, as well as in a saturated regime, characterized by three-dimensional centrifugal modes. The morphology of the modes found in the experiments matched the ones predicted by linear analysis, but with a shift in frequencies for the oscillating modes. A three-dimensional incompressible direct numerical simulation (DNS) is employed for a detailed investigation of the saturation process inside a cavity with dimensions similar to the one used in the experiments, to further explain the behaviour of these modes. In this work, periodic boundary conditions are first imposed to better understand the effect of the saturation process far from the walls. Then, the effects of spanwise solid wall boundary conditions are investigated with a DNS reproducing the full dynamics of the experiments. The main flow structures are identified using the dynamic mode decomposition technique and compared with previous experimental and linear stability analysis results. The main reason for the aforementioned shift in frequency is explained in this paper, as it is a function of the velocity of the main recirculating vortex.