Rifting of Extensional Flows on a Sphere

Roiy Sayag
Phys. Rev. Lett. 123, 214502 – Published 19 November 2019
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Abstract

The front of a fluid that displaces a less viscous fluid in shear-dominated flows is known to be stable. We show that in predominantly extensional flows on a sphere, a similar front of a strain-rate-softening fluid can become unstable and evolve fingerlike patterns comprised of rifts and tongues. The number of rifts and tongues declines with time and is selected by competition between interfacial hoop stress, geometric stretching, momentum dissipation, and spatial curvature. Our results elucidate fracture dynamics in complex fluids under extension and are applicable to a wide range of systems, including planetary-scale ice shelves as in snowball epochs and icy moons.

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  • Received 19 April 2019

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.123.214502

© 2019 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Fluid Dynamics

Authors & Affiliations

Roiy Sayag*,†

  • Department of Environmental Physics, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, 8499000, Israel

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Issue

Vol. 123, Iss. 21 — 22 November 2019

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