Abstract
The two-dimensional periodic Bcnard convection with a deformable free surface is simulated by a spectral method developed tere. Bifurcation phenomena between the static flow and the steady convection rolls are analyzed here. Our aim is to study the effect of a free surface and its surface tension in the Benard convection in comparison with the convection with a rigid surface. Numerical results reveal that when the Rayleigh number is larger than the critical Rayleigh number there exists a steady solution of convection rolls with a curved free surface. The value of the critical Rayleigh number for the convection with a free surface is smaller than that for the convection with a rigid surface. Furthermore, the investigations of the critical Rayleigh number by a linear stability theory support these results.
