The evolution of swirling axisymmetric vortex rings

Swirling vortex rings form in any turbulent flow where a swirling component is present, such as in combustion chambers or the downwash of helicopter blades. Instabilities on initially non-swirling vortex rings result in a localized swirl velocity being generated within the core. The presence of a swirl component of velocity in a vortex ring modifies the relaxation and evolution of numerical Gaussian cores in a manner that is currently unknown. The evolution of Gaussian axisymmetric vortex rings of size 0.2 < Λ < 0.5, with Gaussian swirls of magnitude 0.0 < W < 0.5, is analyzed with reference to the governing equations. A relaxation time, at which the initial Gaussian approximation has minimal influence on the subsequent evolution, has been estimated for each case. An axial vortex forms along the axis of the ring and is responsible for the growth of a shear layer that is found to form at the leading edge. The circulation based Reynolds number is set at 10 000 to encourage the growth of shear layer instabilities from within this region. Secondary vortex rings are subsequently shown to evolve from the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability for shear layers of sufficient strength and are convected around the original ring and shed from the system. It is shown that complete settling of the strain rate within the core does not occur until all sheddings have ceased. Increasing the swirl magnitude past that considered in this paper is expected to result in the original ring losing its structure before the instability can occur. The evolution is found to be qualitatively similar to that of a piston generated axisymmetric vortex ring with swirl, with both cases eventually reaching a similar quasi-steady state.