Unsteady flow due to an impulsively started rotating sphere (Q1114506)

The development of the flow due to a sphere which is impulsively started rotating about a diameter in a fluid initially at rest is studied numerically using two independent approaches. The first involves computing the solution of the full unsteady Navier-Stokes equations, while the second involves integration of the unsteady boundary-layer equations. As has been shown previously, the latter approach results in a breakdown of the flow in the equational region of the sphere after a finite time. This effect is reflected in the solution of the full equations by a burst of vorticity into the fluid, although in this case the steady-state solution is ultimately achieved for the finite Reynolds numbers considered.