Mechanism Responsible for the Complete Suppression of Karman Vortex in Flows Past a Wavy Square-Section Cylinder

The Karman vortex shedding is totally suppressed in flows past a wavy square-section cylinder at a Reynolds number of 100 and the wave steepness of 0.025. Such a phenomenon is illuminated by the numerical simulations. In the present study, the mechanism responsible for it is mainly attributed to the vertical vorticity. The geometric disturbance on the rear surface leads to the appearance of spanwise flow near the base. The specific vertical vorticity is generated on the rear surface and convecting into the near wake. The wake flow is recirculated with the appearance of the pair of recirculating cells. The interaction between the upper and lower shear layers is weakened by such cells, so that the vortex rolls could not be formed and the near wake flow becomes stable.

A NEW WAKE OSCILLATOR MODEL FOR PREDICTING VORTEX INDUCED VIBRATION OF A CIRCULAR CYLINDER

This article proposes a new wake oscillator model for vortex induced vibrations of an elastically supported rigid circular cylinder in a uniform current. The near wake dynamics related with the fluctuating nature of vortex shedding is modeled based on the classical van der Pol equation, combined with the equation for the oscillatory motion of the body. An appropriate approach is developed to estimate the empirical parameters in the wake oscillator model. The present predicted results are compared to the experimental data and previous wake oscillator Model results. Good agreement with experimental results is found.

Vortex-induced vibrations of a rigid cylinder on elastic supports with endstops. Part 1: Experimental Results

This paper describes an experimental investigation into the effect of restricting the vortex-induced vibrations of a spring-mounted rigid cylinder by means of stiff mechanical endstops. Cases of both asymmetric and symmetric restraint are investigated. Results show that limiting the amplitude of the vibrations strongly affects the dynamics of the cylinder, particularly when the offset is small. Fluid-structure interaction is profoundly affected, and the well-known modes of vortex shedding observed with a linear elastic system are modified or absent. There is no evidence of lock-in, and the dominant impact frequency corresponds to a constant Strouhal number of 0.18. The presence of an endstop on one side of the motion can lead to large increases in displacements in the opposite direction. Attention is also given to the nature of the developing chaotic motion, and to impact velocities, which in single-sided impacts approach the maximum velocity of a cylinder with linear compliance undergoing VIV at lock-in. With symmetrical endstops, impact velocities were about one-half of this. Lift coefficients are computed from an analysis of the cylinder’s motion between impacts.

Effect of Reynolds numbers on flow past four square cylinders in an in-line square configuration for different gap spacings

In this paper two-dimensional (2-D) numerical investigation of flow past four square cylinders in an in-line square configuration are performed using the lattice Boltzmann method. The gap spacing g=s/d is set at 1, 3 and 6 and Reynolds number ranging from Re=60 to 175. We observed four distinct wake patterns: (i) a steady wake pattern (Re=60 and g=1) (ii) a stable shielding wake pattern (80≤Re≤175 and g=1) (iii) a wiggling shielding wake pattern (60≤Re≤175 and g=3) (iv) a vortex shedding wake pattern (60≤Re≤175 and g=6) At g=1, the Reynolds number is observed to have a strong effect on the wake patterns. It is also found that at g=1, the secondary cylinder interaction frequency significantly contributes for drag and lift coefficients signal. It is found that the primary vortex shedding frequency dominates the flow and the role of secondary cylinder interaction frequency almost vanish at g=6. It is observed that the jet between the gaps strongly influenced the wake interaction for different gap spacing and Reynolds number combination. To fully understand the wake transformations the details vorticity contour visualization, power spectra of lift coefficient signal and time signal analysis of drag and lift coefficients also presented in this paper.

FRC erection stages dynamic behaviour under wind loads

Buffeting response of a cable-stayed bridge under construction is investigated through wind tunnel tests and numerical simulations. Two configurations of the erection stage have been considered and compared in terms of dynamic response and internal forces using the results of the experimental aeroelastic models. Moreover the results of a numerical model able to simulate the simultaneous effects of vortex shedding from tower and aeroelastic response of the deck are compared to the wind tunnel ones.

On the effect of Reynolds number for flow past three side-by-side square cylinders for unequal gap spacings

Flow patterns and aerodynamic characteristics behind three side-by-side square cylinders has been found depending upon the unequal gap spacing (g1 = s1/d and g2 = s2/d) between the three cylinders and the Reynolds number (Re) using the Lattice Boltzmann method. The effect of Reynolds numbers on the flow behind three cylinders are numerically studied for 75 ≤ Re ≤ 175 and chosen unequal gap spacings such as (g1, g2) = (1.5, 1), (3, 4) and (7, 6). We also investigate the effect of g2 while keeping g1 fixed for Re = 150. It is found that a Reynolds number have a strong effect on the flow at small unequal gap spacing (g1, g2) = (1.5, 1.0). It is also found that the secondary cylinder interaction frequency significantly contributes for unequal gap spacing for all chosen Reynolds numbers. It is observed that at intermediate unequal gap spacing (g1, g2) = (3, 4) the primary vortex shedding frequency plays a major role and the effect of secondary cylinder interaction frequencies almost disappear. Some vortices merge near the exit and as a result small modulation found in drag and lift coefficients. This means that with the increase in the Reynolds numbers and unequal gap spacing shows weakens wakes interaction between the cylinders. At large unequal gap spacing (g1, g2) = (7, 6) the flow is fully periodic and no small modulation found in drag and lift coefficients signals. It is found that the jet flows for unequal gap spacing strongly influenced the wake interaction by varying the Reynolds number. These unequal gap spacing separate wake patterns for different Reynolds numbers: flip-flopping, in-phase and anti-phase modulation synchronized, in-phase and anti-phase synchronized. It is also observed that in case of equal gap spacing between the cylinders the effect of gap spacing is stronger than the Reynolds number. On the other hand, in case of unequal gap spacing between the cylinders the wake patterns strongly depends on both unequal gap spacing and Reynolds number. The vorticity contour visualization, time history analysis of drag and lift coefficients, power spectrum analysis of lift coefficient and force statistics are systematically discussed for all chosen unequal gap spacings and Reynolds numbers to fully understand this valuable and practical problem.

Flow over a cylinder with a hinged-splitter plate

Previous work on rigid splitter plates in the wake of a bluff body has shown that the primary vortex shedding can be suppressed for sufficiently long splitter plates. In the present work, we study the problem of a hinged-splitter plate in the wake of a circular cylinder. The splitter plate can rotate about the hinge at the base of the cylinder due to the unsteady fluid forces acting on it, and hence the communication between the two sides of the wake is not totally disrupted as in the rigid splitter plate case. In our study, we investigate this problem in the limit where the stiffness and internal damping associated with the hinge are negligible, and the mass ratio of the splitter plate is small. The experiments show that the splitter plate oscillations increase with Reynolds numbers at low values of Re, and are found to reach a saturation amplitude level at higher Re, Re>4000. This type of saturation amplitude level that appears to continue indefinitely with Re, appears to be related to the fact that there is no structural restoring force, and has been observed previously for transversely oscillating cylinders with no restorin force. In the present case, the saturation tip amplitude level can be tip to 0.45D, where D is the cylinder diameter. For this hinged-rigid splitter plate case, it is found that the splitter plate length to cylinder diameter ratio (L/D) is crucial in determining the character and magnitude of the oscillations. For small splitter plate length (L/D <= 3.0), the oscillations appear to be nearly periodic with tip amplitudes of about 0.45D nearly independent of L/D. The nondiinensional oscillation frequencies (fD/U) on the other hand are found to continuously vary with L/D from fD/U approximate to 0.2 at L/D = 1 to fD/U approximate to 0.1 at L/D = 3. As the splitter plate length is further increased beyond L/D >= 4.0, the character of the splitter plate oscillations suddenly changes. The oscillations become aperiodic with much smaller amplitudes. In this long splitter plate regime, the spectra of the oscillations become broadband, and are reminiscent of the change in character of the wake oscillations seen in the earlier fixed-rigid splitter plate case for L/D >= 5.0. In the present case of the hinged-splitter plate, the sudden transition seen as the splitter plate length (L/D) is increased from 3 to 4 may be attributed to the fact that the wake vortices are no longer able to synchronize with the plate motions for larger splitter plate lengths. Hence, as observed in other vortex-induced vibration problems, the oscillations becomeaperiodic and the amplitude reduces dramatically.

Dynamics of a flexible splitter plate in the wake of a circular cylinder

Rigid splitter plates in the wake of bluff bodies are known to suppress the primary vortex shedding. In the present work, we experimentally study the problem of a flexible splitter plate in the wake of a circular cylinder. In this case, the splitter plate is free to continuously deform along its length due to the fluid forces acting on it; the flexural rigidity (EI) of the plate being an important parameter. Direct visualizations of the splitter plate motions, for very low values of flexural rigidity (EI), indicate periodic traveling wave type deformations of the splitter plate with maximum tip amplitudes of the order of I cylinder diameter. As the Reynolds number based on cylinder diameter is varied, two regimes of periodic splitter plate motions are found that are referred to as mode I and mode II, with a regime of aperiodic motions between them. The frequency of plate motions in both periodic modes is found to be close to the plane cylinder Strouhal number of about 0.2, while the average frequencies in the non-periodic regime are substantially lower. The measured normalized phase speed of the traveling wave for both periodic modes is also close to the convection speed of vortices in the plane cylinder wake. As the flexural rigidity of the plate (EI) is increased, the response of the plate was found to shift to the right when plotted with flow speed or Re. To better capture the effect of varying EI, we define and use a non-dimensional bending stiffness, K*, similar to the ones used in the flag flutter problem, K*=EI/(0.5 rho(UL3)-L-2), where U is the free-stream velocity and L is the splitter plate length. Amplitude data for different EI cases when plotted against this parameter appear to collapse on to a single curve for a given splitter plate length. Measurements of the splitter plate motions for varying splitter plate lengths indicate that plates that are substantially larger than the formation length of the plane cylinder wake have similar responses, while shorter plates show significant differences.

Multimodal shape oscillations of droplets excited by an air stream

The shape dynamics of droplets exposed to an air jet at intermediate droplet Reynolds numbers is investigated. High speed imaging and hot-wire anemometry are employed to examine the mechanism of droplet oscillation. The theory that the vortex shedding behind the droplet induces oscillation is examined. In these experiments, no particular dominant frequency is found in the wake region of the droplet. Hence the inherent free-stream disturbances prove to be driving the droplet oscillations. The modes of droplet oscillation show a band of dominant frequencies near the corresponding natural frequency, further proving that there is no particular forcing frequency involved. In the frequency spectrum of the lowest mode of oscillation for glycerol at the highest Reynolds number, no response is observed below the threshold frequency corresponding to the viscous dissipation time scale. This selective suppression of lower frequencies in the case of glycerol is corroborated by scaling arguments. The influence of surface tension on the droplet oscillation is studied using ethanol as a test fluid. Since a lower surface tension reduces the natural frequency, ethanol shows lower excited frequencies. The oscillation levels of different fluids are quantified using the droplet aspect ratio and correlated in terms of Weber number and Ohnesorge number. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of Channel Confinement on Mixed Convective Flow Past an Equilateral Triangular Cylinder

The present work investigates the mixed convective flow and heat transfer characteristics past a triangular cylinder placed symmetrically in a vertical channel. At a representative Reynolds number, Re = 100, simulations are carried out for the blockage ratios beta = 1/3; 1/4; and 1/6. Effect of aiding and opposing buoyancy is brought about by varying the Richardson number in the range -1.0 <= Ri <= 1.0. At a blockage ratio of 1/3, suppression of vortex shedding is found at Ri = 1, whereas von Karman vortex street is seen both at beta = 1/4 and 1/6, respectively. This is the first time that such behavior of blockage ratio past a triangular cylinder in the present flow configuration is reported. Drag coefficient increases progressively with increasing Ri and a slightly higher value is noticed at beta = 1/3. For all b, heat transfer increases with increasing Ri. Flattening of Nu(avg)-Ri curve beyond Ri > 0: 75 is observed at beta = 1/3.

Control of Mean and Fluctuating Forces on a Circular Cylinder at High Reynolds Numbers

A narrow strip is used to control mean and fluctuating forces on a circular cylinder at Reynolds numbers from 2.0 x 10(4) to 1.0 x 10(5). The axes of the strip and cylinder are parallel. The control parameters are strip width ratio and strip position characterized by angle of attack and distance from the cylinder. Wind tunnel tests show that the vortex shedding from both sides of the cylinder can be suppressed, and mean drag and fluctuating lift on the cylinder can be reduced if the strip is installed in an effective zone downstream of the cylinder. A phenomenon of mono-side vortex shedding is found. The strip-induced local changes of velocity profiles in the near wake of the cylinder are measured, and the relation between base suction and peak value in the power spectrum of fluctuating lift is studied. The control mechanism is then discussed from different points of view.

High Aspect Ratio (L/D) Riser Viv Prediction Using Wake Oscillator Model

A two-dimensional (2-D) vortex-induced vibration (VIV) prediction model for high aspect ratio (LID) riser subjected to uniform and sheared flow is studied in this paper. The nonlinear structure equations are considered. The near wake dynamics describing the fluctuating nature of vortex shedding is modeled using classical van der Pol equation. A new approach was applied to calibrate the empirical parameters in the wake oscillator model. Compared the predicted results with the experimental data and computational fluid dynamic (CFD) results. Good agreements are observed. It can be concluded that the present model can be used as simple computational tool in predicting some aspects of VIV of long flexible structures. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Flow-Induced Vibrations Of A Cylinder With Two Degrees Of Freedom Near Rigid Plane Boundary

Based on similarity analyses, the flow-induced vibrations of a near-wall cylinder with 2 degrees of freedom are investigated experimentally by employing a hydroelastic apparatus in conjunction with a flume. The cylinder's vibration amplitude, vibration frequency and vortex shedding frequency were measured and analyzed. The effects of gap-to-diameter ratio (e,ID) upon the vibration responses are further investigated. The experimental results indicate that, when the reduced velocity (Vr) is small (e.g. Vr = 1.2 similar to 2.6), only streamwise vibration occurs, and its frequency is quite close to its natural frequency in still water. When increasing Vr (e.g. Vr > 3.4), both streamwise and transverse vibrations of the near-wall cylinder may occur. In the examined range of gap-to-diameter ratio (0.42 < e(0)/D < 2.68), 2 vibration stages (in terms of Vr) of streamwise vibrations usually exist: First Streamwise Vibration (FSV) and Second Streamwise Vibration (SSV). In the SSV stage, the vortex shedding frequency may either undergo a jump to that of the streamwise vibration, or stay consistent with that of the transverse vibration. The amplitudes of transverse vibration are usually much larger than those of streamwise vibration for the same value of e(0)/D. The maximum amplitudes of both streamwise and transverse vibration get larger with the increase of e(0)/D (0.42 < e(0)/D < 2.68).

A Note On The Numerical Simulations Of Flow Past A Wavy Square-Section Cylinder

The flow past a square-section cylinder with a geometric disturbance is investigated by numerical simulations. The extra terms, due to the introduction of mapping transformation simulating the effect of disturbance into the transformed Navier-Stokes equations, are correctly derived, and the incorrect ones in the previous literature are pointed out and analyzed. Furthermore, the relationship between the vorticity, especially on the cylinder surface, and the disturbance is derived and explained theoretically. The computations are performed at two Reynolds numbers of 100 and 180 and three amplitudes of waviness of 0.006, 0.025 and 0.167 with another aim to explore the effects of different Reynolds numbers and disturbance on the vortex dynamics in the wake and forces on the body. Numerical results have shown that, at the mild waviness of 0.025, the Karman vortex shedding is suppressed completely for Re = 100, while the forced vortex dislocation is appeared in the near wake at the Reynolds number of 180. The drag reduction is up to 21.6% at Re = 100 and 25.7% at Re = 180 for the high waviness of 0.167 compared with the non-wavy cylinder. The lift and the Strouhal number varied with different Reynolds numbers and the wave steepness are also obtained.

Numerical exploration of new features on three-dimensional transition of a cylinder wake

The three-dimensional transition of the wake flow behind a circular cylinder is studied in detail by direct numerical simulations using 3D incompressible N-S equations for Reynolds number ranging from 200 to 300. New features and vortex dynamics of the 3D transition of the wake are found and investigated. At Re = 200, the flow pattern is characterized by mode A instability. However, the spanwise characteristic length of the cylinder determines the transition features. Particularly for the specific spanwise characteristic length linear stable mode may dominate the wake in place of mode A and determine the spanwise phase difference of the primary vortices shedding. At Re = 250 and 300 it is found that the streamwise vortices evolve into a new type of mode - "dual vortex pair mode" downstream. The streamwise vortex structures switch among mode A, mode B and dual vortex pair mode from near wake to downstream wake. At Re = 250, an independent low frequency f(m) in addition to the vortex shedding frequency f(s) is identified. Frequency coupling between f(m) and f(s) occurs. These result in the irregularity of the temporal signals and become a key feature in the transition of the wake. Based on the formation analysis of the streamwise vorticity in the vicinity of cylinder, it is suggested that mode A is caused by the emergence of the spanwise velocity due to three dimensionality of the incoming flow past the cylinder. Energy distribution on various wave numbers and the frequency variation in the wake are also described.