Steady fluid flow in a precessing spheroidal shell

Abstract

The linear boundary-layer analysis by Stewartson & Roberts (1963) and by Roberts & Stewartson (1965) for the motion of a viscous fluid inside the spheroidal cavity of a precessing rigid body is extended to include effects due to the nonlinear terms in the boundary-layer equation. The most significant consequence is a differential rotation super-imposed on the constant vorticity flow given by the linear theory. In addition it is shown that a tidal bulge of the cavity forces a fluid motion similar to that caused by the precessional torque. The relevance of both effects for the liquid core of the earth is briefly discussed.