Generation of tones due to flow past a deep cavity: Effect of streamwise length

Shear flow past a deep cavity can generate self-sustained oscillations, including locked-on flow tones, due to coupling between the inherent instability of the separated shear layer and an acoustic mode of the cavity resonator. This investigation focuses on the dimensionless pressure amplitude response within a deep cavity, as a function of the streamwise length of the cavity opening; for each length, the pressure response is characterized over a wide range of dimensionless inflow velocity. Criteria for locked-on flow tones are assessed. They include a measure of the strength of lock-on, SoL and the quality factor Q. All self-excited oscillations are assessed using both of these criteria, in order to interpret dimensionless forms of the fluctuation pressure amplitude. The dimensionless pressure amplitude response of the cavity involves several successive regimes, due to variations of streamwise length L of the cavity opening. These regimes are defined in relation to L/θ, where θ is the momentum thickness of the inflow boundary layer. Below a minimum value of L/θ, flow tones cannot be generated. Furthermore, these regimes are defined in terms of the possible hydrodynamic modes (stages) of the unsteady shear layer and the acoustic modes of the deep cavity.