Stability of Flexible Tapes in Parallel Flow

A stability analysis by the method of normal modes is carried out for a plane Poiseuille flow in a channel with a free-flying elastic tape in midstream. The effects of transverse and rotary inertia and flexural rigidity of the tape on the stability criteria are investigated. An increase of transverse inertia due to heavier tapes tends to decrease the critical Reynold's number while the addition of flexural rigidity improves the stability criteria by increasing the critical Reynold's number.