Abstract
Double-diffusive convection in a solutally stratified fluid of two layers destabilized by lateral heating and cooling was visualized experimentally and the breaking time of the interface between two layers, i.e. the time when the mixing of the two layers starts, was measured. Effects of solutal properties of the interface on the breaking time have not been clarified yet. Especially, there were no researches that summarized the breaking time and other influence factors systematically. The experiments that used four rectangle vessels with different sizes and five aqueous solutions with different solutes were conducted under the wide range of temperature and initial concentration conditions. Based on the result of dimension analysis, a dimensionless equation was proposed for correlating the breaking time of the interface with the thermal Rayleigh number, the initial buoyancy ratio, the aspect ratio and the Schmidt number. The equation was also valid for experimental data reported in the literature.
