Nonlinear thermal convection in an elasticoviscous layer heated from below

Abstract

The linear and nonlinear stabilities of a horizontal layer of an elasticoviscous fluid, whose stress-rate-of-strain relations are due to Oldroyd (1958), are studied. In the linear theory it is already shown that steady convection (the situation generally referred to as the exchange of stability) is preferred for all relevant values of the Prandtl number (which is the ratio of the kinematic viscosity to the thermal diffusivity). The study of nonlinear effects for slightly supercritical Rayleigh number (which measures the temperature contrast across the layer) shows that plane disturbances for the case where the exchange of stability is valid and plane or centred disturbances for the case of overstability are governed by equations similar to those derived by Hocking, Stewartson & Stuart (1972) for plane Poiseuille flow. The influence of elasticity is to give rise to a burst only when the principle of exchange of stability is valid and provided certain conditions relating to the elastic parameters of the fluid are satisfied. The effect of the adiabatic temperature gradient is also discussed. It is shown that it stabilizes the layer in the linear theory. However, in the nonlinear theory it can destabilize the layer if the ratio the mean temperature of the layer to the temperature difference across the layer is large enough. For most practical purposes it does not influence the conditions necessary for a burst to occur.