Past exam of the fluids and waves course of the University of Oxford / 2015 / 3 / d

Let $\mu =\pi /H$. The end-wall forcing has transverse factor $\cos (\mu y)$, which already satisfies both fixed-wall Neumann boundary conditions. By linearity and separation of variables, seek its periodic response asSubstitution into the wave equation and the moving-wall condition givesThe acoustic waveguide cutoff is thereforeIt is the lowest nonzero transverse-mode frequency. The uniform transverse mode has no cutoff, but is not excited here because ${\int }_0^H\cos (\pi y/H)dy=0$.

For $0<\omega <{\omega }_c$, put $\alpha =\sqrt{{\mu }^2-{\omega }^2/c^2}>0$. The axial equation has solutions $e^{\pm \alpha x}$. Boundedness removes the growing exponential, and ${\Phi }^{\prime }(0)=ϵ\omega$ fixes the coefficient. ThusThis evanescent wave oscillates in time but decays with penetration length $1/\alpha$. Its axial velocity is proportional to $\cos (\omega t)$, while its excess pressure $p^{\prime }=-{\rho }_0{\varphi }_t$ is proportional to $\sin (\omega t)$. They are in phase quadrature, so their mean product, the axial acoustic energy flux, is zero.

For $\omega >{\omega }_c$, put $q=\sqrt{{\omega }^2/c^2-{\mu }^2}>0$. The axial solutions are $e^{\pm iqx}$. The outgoing condition selects $e^{iqx}$ for the chosen time convention, andTaking the real part givesIts axial velocity is $ϵ\omega \cos (\pi y/H)\cos (qx-\omega t)$, so the moving-wall condition is satisfied with the correct sign. This is a traveling acoustic waveguide mode carrying energy toward positive $x$. Its dispersion relation isThe larger axial phase velocity does not imply faster energy transport: the group velocity controls that transport.

At $\omega ={\omega }_c$, the axial equation becomes ${\Phi }^{\prime \prime }=0$. The imposed nonzero derivative forces $\Phi =ϵ{\omega }_{c}x+$ a constant, which is unbounded. Thus there is no bounded periodic response at exact cutoff for this infinite, undamped, velocity-driven model. The divergent coefficients as $q\to 0$ or $\alpha \to 0$ also show why the assumed small perturbations fail sufficiently close to cutoff at fixed forcing. Initial conditions can add free transients; the displayed formulas give the selected periodic forced response.