The development of instabilities under the joint action of the van der Waals forces and Marangoni stresses in a two-layer film in the presence of an inclined temperature gradient is investigated. The problem is solved by means of a linear stability theory and nonlinear simulations. It has been found that for sufficiently large values of the ratio between the longitudinal and transverse Marangoni numbers, the real part of the linear growth rate does not depend on the direction of the wavenumber, except the case of nearly longitudinal disturbances. Numerous types of nonlinear evolution have been observed, among them are ordered systems of droplets, ‘splashes’, oblique waves, modulated transverse and longitudinal structures.

Longwave Marangoni convection in two-layer films under the action of heating modulation is considered. The analysis is carried out in the lubrication approximation. The capillary forces are assumed to be sufficiently strong, and they are taken into account. Periodic or symmetric boundary conditions are applied on the boundaries of the computational region. Numerical simulations are performed by means of a finite-difference method. Two regions of parametric instabilities have been found. In the first region, one observes the competition or coexistence of standing waves parallel to the boundaries of the computational region. The multistability of the flow regimes is revealed. In the second region, the regimes found in the case of periodic boundary conditions are more diverse than in the case of symmetric boundary conditions.

The effect of gravity on the dynamics of non-isothermic ultra-thin two-layer films is studied in this paper. The joint action of disjoining pressure and thermocapillary forces is taken into account. The problem is considered in a long-wave approximation. The linear stability of a quiescent state and thermocapillary flows is investigated. It has been found that the influence of the upper fluid density is significantly stronger than that of the difference of fluid densities. Nonlinear flow regimes are studied by means of numerical simulations. The gravity can lead to the formation of stripes or holes instead of droplets. The two-dimensional wavy patterns are replaced by one-dimensional waves with the fronts inclined or transverse to the direction of the horizontal temperature gradient.

The influence of time-periodic vibrations on long Marangoni waves in two-layer films is investigated. The problem is governed by a system of nonlinear equations obtained in the framework of the lubrication approximation. Periodic boundary conditions are applied on the boundaries of the computational region. The development of instabilities is investigated by means of nonlinear simulations. Excitation of two-dimensional and three-dimensional subharmonic wavy regimes is studied. A new phenomenon, the excitation of nonlinear waves with a temporal period that is four times larger than that of the gravity modulation, is revealed.

The nonlinear dynamics of waves generated by the deformational oscillatory Marangoni instability in a two-layer film under the action of a two-dimensional temperature modulation on the solid substrate is considered. A system of long-wave equations governing the deformations of the upper surface and the interface between the liquids is presented. The long-wave approach is applied. The nonlinear simulations reveal the existence of different dynamic regimes, including stationary, time-periodic and quasi-periodic flows. The general diagrams of the flow regimes are constructed.