摘要
Flows in nature and technology are often associated with specific structures and pattern. This paper deals with thedevelopment and behaviour of such flow pattern. Flow structures are important for the mass, momentum and energytransport. The behaviour of different flow pattern is used by engineers to obtain an efficient mass and energyconsumption. Mechanical power is transmitted via the momentum of rotating machine parts. Therefore thephysical and mathematical knowledge of these basic concepts is important. Theoretical and experimental investigationsof principle experiments are described in the following. We start with the classical problem of the flowbetween two concentric cylinders where the inner cylinder rotates. Periodic instabilities occur which are calledTaylor vortices. The analogy between the cylindrical gap flow, the heat transfer in a horizontal fluid layer exposedto the gravity field and the boundary layer flow along concave boundaries concerning their stability behaviour isaddressed. The vortex breakdown phenomenon in a cylinder with rotating cover is also described. A generalizationto spherical sectors leads then to investigations with different boundary conditions. The spherical gap flowexhibits interesting phenomena concerning the nonlinear character of the Navier-Stokes equations. Multiple solutionsin the nonlinear regime give rise to different routes during the laminar-turbulent transition. The interactionof two rotating spheres results in flow structures with separation and stagnation lines. Experimental results areconfirmed by numerical simulations.
