A qualitative experimental analysis of lid-driven cavity flow with split boundaries

Abstract

An experimental analysis of a novel two-dimensional lid-driven cavity flow is presented. The system that is developed and tested contains six movable boundary sections that can be driven in pairs to generate complex flow patterns in the cavity. Previous studies of lid-driven cavity flow focus on using only one or two movable boundaries. System components, tank design, and experimental constraints are presented for the more complex lid-driven cavity. An existing tank was modified and a control program was developed to produce the desired boundary motions. Experimental results are presented for the case of one moving boundary section. The results of these experiments form the basis for designing a new class of fluid mixing devices.