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Updated: May 24, 2026

Magnetically Induced Rotating Rayleigh-Taylor Instability
Published on: March 3, 2017
Layering instability in a confined suspension flow
M Zurita-Gotor1, J Bławzdziewicz, E Wajnryb
1Abengoa Research, Campus Palmas Altas, Sevilla, Spain.
Abstract:
We show [J. Fluid Mech. 592, 447 (2007)] that swapping (reversing) trajectories in confined suspension flows prevent collisions between particles approaching each other in adjacent streamlines. Here we demonstrate that by inducing layering this hydrodynamic mechanism changes the microstructure of suspensions in a confined Couette flow. Layers occur either in the near-wall regions or span the whole channel width, depending on the strength of the swapping-trajectory effect. While our theory focuses on dilute suspensions, we postulate that this new hydrodynamic mechanism controls the formation of a layered microstructure in a wide range of densities.
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