Numerical computation of nonlinear axisymmetric vibrations of cylindrical liquid bridges Application to the experiments 'LICOR' of the next German Spacelab-D2 mission

In the absence of gravity the dynamic response of a cylindrical viscous axisymmetric liquid bridge between two disks subjected to a harmonic axial excitation of one of the disks is considered. The Navier-Stokes equations in the streamfunction vorticity formulation and boundary conditions have been solved by a finite-difference method with a boundary-fitted orthogonal curvilinear coordinate system, which is generated numerically with always one coordinate line coincident with the current free surface. In each time step the algorithm is based on an iteration on the normal stress boundary condition in order to find the correct moving free surface. From the surface response the resonance frequencies of the liquid bridge are obtained for aspect ratios and viscosities of the experiment 'LICOR' (Liquid Column Resonances) of the next German Spacelab mission D-2. The numerical results are compared with existing models in the literature. (orig.)SIGLEDEGerman