Geophysical fluid dynamics in the hypergravity field

Abstract

Hypergravity can be realized by creating a field imposed by centripetal acceleration in a centrifuge apparatus. Such an apparatus is often used to test soil response in geotechnical engineering problems. Here we present the potential usage of a centrifuge apparatus to study various topics in hydrodynamics. The scaling law associated with hydrodynamics is first reviewed, and the advantage of controlling the body force is described. One of the perceived disadvantages in such experiments is the unwanted presence of the Coriolis effect in the centrifuge. However, we propose exploiting this effect to our advantage to study geophysical fluid-dynamic problems that occur particularly in the equatorial region.[Figure not available: see fulltext.]