Passage of an instability wave through a channel section of variable width (Q1317682)

Using plane Poiseuille flow as an exactly parallel model, the attenuation of unstable oscillations is considered as a result of the interaction of a Tollmien-Schlichting wave and a small two-dimensional surface irregularity. The main object is to find the complex transmission coefficient \(K\) as a quantitative characteristic of the wave modification. \(| K|>1\) corresponds to wave amplification and \(| K|<1\) to damping. Also investigated are the weakly nonlinear effects that arise when a Tollmien-Schlichting wave is scattered by wall roughness. This leads to secondary instability waves which have the same frequency and wavelength as the Tollmien-Schlichting wave, but grow at a lower rate.