Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 1, 2026

Magnetically Induced Rotating Rayleigh-Taylor Instability
Published on: March 3, 2017
Wavelength scaling of spiral patterns formed by granular media underneath a rotating fluid
1Fluid Dynamics Research Centre, School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
A spiral pattern formed by granular media underneath a rotating fluid is discussed. Results from a cellular-automaton model are compared to experimental data, and are found to reproduce experimentally observed scalings. A theoretical argument predicting these scalings on the basis of the existence of a critical threshold condition is advanced. It is suggested that the pattern is probably not associated with a hitherto unknown flow instability, as has been speculated previously. It appears that the pattern constitutes some rotating analog to sand ripples in nonrotating systems.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Fluid Pressure over Curved Plate of Constant Width
Fluid Pressure over Flat Plate of Variable Width
The pressure distribution on the plate can be calculated by determining the force that acts on a differential area strip of the plate. Thus, the magnitude of the force is equal to the...
Deriving the Speed of Sound in a Liquid
The speed of sound in fluids can be derived by considering a mechanical wave propagating...
Scaling
Dimensionless Groups in Fluid Mechanics
Design Example: Creating a Hydraulic Model of a Dam Spillway

