The Taylor Vortex Regime in the Flow Between Eccentric Rotating Cylinders

Abstract

With the exception of very small clearance ratios, transition to turbulence in journal bearings is likely to be preceded by the appearance of Taylor vortices. The resultant regime may extend over a wide range of Taylor numbers and include transitions to several types of wavy vortex modes. The influence of eccentricity, clearance ratio, and axial flow on the critical Taylor numbers corresponding to the appearance of regular Taylor cells and their subsequent wavy mode transformations is reviewed.