Flow in a Three-Sided Lid-Driven Cavity: Genesis of Vortices under Asymmetric Parallel Upward Motion

Abstract:

A numerical study investigates the flow behavior inside a three-sided lid-driven cavity. The physical problem is represented by a square cavity with two opposite horizontal walls moving translationally and independently to the right. The left vertical sidewall moves upward while the right vertical sidewall remains stationary. This study applies different Reynolds numbers to the moving walls to define three different configurations. In each configuration, two moving walls operate at the same Reynolds number (Re=100), while the Reynolds number of the remaining wall varies (Re=200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, and 6400). We explore the flow patterns for each case, including the generated primary and secondary vortices, vorticity, velocity profiles, and fluid properties. Special attention is given to the formation and evolution of primary and secondary vortices to provide insights into the complex flow mechanisms governing this type of flow. The study reveals that varying the Reynolds number of one of the moving walls significantly impacts the flow structure within the three-sided lid-driven cavity. The asymmetry in wall motion is a powerful trigger for vortex genesis and evolution. The findings also lead to a better understanding of the flow mechanisms of driven cavity flows bounded by three walls with asymmetric boundary conditions.

• Periodical: Defect and Diffusion Forum (Volume 447)
• Pages: 125-148
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-msA48c
• Online since: February 2026
• Authors: El Amin Azzouz*, Samir Houat
• Keywords: Finite Volume Method, Incompressible Flow, Lid-Driven Cavity, Three-Sided, Vortices Genesis

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