Influence of aspect ratio on the mean flow field of a surface-mounted finite-height square prism

The flow around surface-mounted, finite-height square prisms at a Reynolds number of Re = 4.2 × 10⁴ was investigated experimentally in a low-speed wind tunnel using particle image velocimetry. The thickness of the boundary layer on the ground plane relative to the width of the prism was δ/D = 1.5. Four prism aspect ratios were tested, AR = 9, 7, 5, and 3, to study how the aspect ratio influences the flow field close to the prism. Upstream of the prism, lowering the aspect ratio from AR = 9 to AR = 3 causes the stagnation point on the upstream face to move closer to the free end, but there is no influence on the location and strength of the horseshoe vortex. Lowering the aspect ratio from AR = 9 to AR = 3 causes the cross-stream vortices in the upper and lower halves of the wake to move downstream and upstream, respectively; the latter vortex is absent for AR = 3, suggesting this prism sits below the critical aspect ratio. Above the free end of the prism, within the region of separated flow, lowering the aspect ratio from AR = 9 to AR = 3 shifts the location of the cross-stream vortex farther downstream. For the prism of AR = 3, reverse flow above the free end is stronger yet more unsteady compared to the more slender prisms, while the streamwise edge vortices are smaller and weaker.     

Aerodynamic forces and three-dimensional flow structures in the mean wake of a surface-mounted finite-height square prism

Different flow models have been proposed for the flow around surface-mounted finite-height square prisms, but there is still a lack of consensus about the origin and connection of the streamwise tip vortices with the other elements of the wake. This numerical study was performed to address this gap, in addition to clarifying the relationship of the near-wake structures with the far wake and the near-wall flow, which is associated with the fluid forces. A large-eddy simulation approach was adopted to solve the flow around a surface-mounted finite-height square prism with an aspect ratio of AR = 3 and a Reynolds number Re = 500. The mean drag and normal forces and the bending moment for the prism were quantitatively compared in terms of skin-friction and pressure contributions, and related to the near-wall flow. Both three-dimensional visualizations and planar projections of the time-averaged flow field were used to identify, qualitatively, the main structures of the wake, including the horseshoe vortex, corner vortices and regions of high streamwise vorticity in the upper part of the wake. These features showed the same qualitative behavior as reported in high Reynolds number studies. It was found that some regions of high streamwise vorticity magnitude, like the tip vortices, are associated with the three-dimensional bending of the flow, and the tip vortices did not continuously extend to the free end of the prism. The three-dimensional flow analysis, which integrated different observations of the flow field around surface-mounted finite-height square prisms, also revealed that the mean near-wake structure is composed of two sections of different origin and location of dominance.     

The effect of incidence angle on the mean wake of surface-mounted finite-height square prisms

The mean wake of a surface-mounted finite-height square prism was studied experimentally in a low-speed wind tunnel to explore the combined effects of incidence angle (α) and aspect ratio (AR). Measurements of the mean wake velocity field were made with a seven-hole pressure probe for finite square prisms of AR = 9, 7, 5 and 3, at a Reynolds number of Re = 3.7 × 10⁴, for incidence angles from α = 0° to 45°. The relative thickness of the boundary layer on the ground plane, compared to the prism width, was δ/D = 1.5. As the incidence angle increases from α = 0° to 15°, the mean recirculation zone shortens and the mean wake shifts in the direction opposite to that of the mean lift force. The downwash is also deflected to this side of the wake and the mean streamwise vortex structures in the upper part of the wake become strongly asymmetric. The shortest mean recirculation zone, and the greatest asymmetry in the mean wake, is found at the critical incidence angle of α_critical ≈ 15°. As the incidence angle increases from α = 15° to 45°, the mean recirculation zone lengthens and the mean streamwise vortex structures regain their symmetry. These vortices also elongate in the wall-normal direction and become contiguous with the horseshoe vortex trailing arms. The mean wake of the prism of AR = 3 has some differences, such as an absence of induced streamwise vorticity near the ground plane, which support its classification as lying below the critical aspect ratio for the present flow conditions.     

The role of shape and relative submergence on the structure of wakes of low-aspect-ratio wall-mounted bodies

The effects of shape and relative submergence (the ratio of flow depth to obstacle height, d/H) are investigated on the wakes around four different low-aspect-ratio wall-mounted obstacles at Re _H  = 17,800: semi-ellipsoids with the major axes of the base ellipses aligned in the streamwise and transverse directions, and two cylinders with aspect ratios matching the ellipsoids (H/D = 0.89 and 0.67, where D is the maximum transverse dimension). Particle Image Velocimetry was used to interrogate the flow. Streamwise features observed in the mean wake include counter-rotating distributions of vorticity inducing downwash (tip structures), upwash (base structures), and horseshoe vortices. In particular, the relatively subtle change in geometry produced by the rotation of the ellipsoid from the streamwise to the transverse orientation results in a striking modification of the mean streamwise vorticity distribution in the wake. Tip structures are dominant in the former case, while base structures are dominant in the latter. A vortex skeleton model of the wake is proposed in which arch vortex structures, shed from the obstacle, are deformed by the competing mechanisms of Biot-Savart self-induction and the external shear flow. The selection of tip or base structures in the ellipsoid wakes is caused by tilting of the arch structures either upstream or downstream, respectively, which is governed by ellipsoid curvature. An inverse relationship was observed between the relative submergence and the strength of the base structures for the ellipsoids, with a dominant base structure observed for d/H = 1 in both cases. These results demonstrate a means by which to achieve significant modifications to flow structure and thereby also to transport mechanisms in the flow. Therefore, this work provides insight into the modeling and control of flow over wall-mounted bodies.     

Influence of wall proximity on characteristics of wake behind a square cylinder: PIV measurements and POD analysis

Influence of wall proximity on characteristics of the wake behind a two-dimensional square cylinder was experimentally studied in the present work. A low-speed recirculation water channel was established for the experiment; the Reynolds number based on the free-stream velocity and cylinder width (D) was kept at Re_D = 2250. Four cases with different gap width, e.g., G/D = 0.1, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.8, were chosen for comparison. Two experimental techniques, e.g., the standard PIV with high image-density CCD camera and TR-PIV with a high-speed camera were employed in measuring the wake field, enabling a comprehensive view of the time-averaged wake pattern at high spatial resolution and the instantaneous flow field at high temporal resolution, respectively. For the four cases, the difference in spatial characteristics of the wake in the vicinity of the plane wall was analyzed in terms of the time-averaged quantities measured by the standard PIV, e.g., the streamline pattern, the vector field, the streamwise velocity fluctuation intensity and the reverse-flow intermittency. The proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) method was extensively used to decompose the TR-PIV measurements, giving a close-up view of the energetic POD modes buried in the wake. The low-order flow model of the wake at G/D = 0.8 and 0.4 was constructed by using the linear combination of the first two POD modes and the time-mean flow field, which reflected well the vortex shedding process in the sense of the phase-dependent patterns. The intermittent appearance of the weakly separated region near the wall was found at G/D = 0.4. On going from G/D = 0.8 to 0.4, the remarkable variation of the instantaneous wake in the longitudinal direction confirmed that the wall constraint stretches the vortices in the plane of the wall and transfers the energy to the longitudinal component at the expense of the lateral one.     

An experimental investigation of flow past a dual step cylinder

Flow development in the wake of a dual step cylinder has been investigated experimentally using Laser Doppler Velocimetry and flow visualization. The dual step cylinder model is comprised of a large diameter cylinder (D) mounted at the mid-span of a small diameter cylinder (d). The experiments have been performed for a Reynolds number (Re _D ) of 1,050, a diameter ratio (D/d) of 2, and a range of large cylinder aspect ratios (L/D). The results show that the flow development is highly dependent on L/D. The following four distinct flow regimes can be identified based on vortex dynamics in the wake of the large cylinder: (1) for L/D ≥ 15, three vortex shedding cells form in the wake of the large cylinder, one central cell bounded by two cells of lower frequency, (2) for 8 < L/D ≤ 14, a single vortex shedding cell forms in the wake of the large cylinder, (3) for 2 < L/D ≤ 6, vortex shedding from the large cylinder is highly three-dimensional. When spanwise vortices are shed, they deform substantially and attain a hairpin shape in the near wake, (4) for 0.2 ≤ L/D ≤ 1, the large cylinder induces vortex dislocations between small cylinder vortices. The results show that for Regimes I to III, on the average, the frequency of vortex shedding in the large cylinder wake decreases with L/D, which is accompanied by a decrease in coherence of the shed vortices. In Regime IV, small cylinder vortices connect across the large cylinder wake, but these connections are interrupted by vortex dislocations. With decreasing L/D, the frequency of dislocations decreases and the dominant frequency in the large cylinder wake increases toward the small cylinder shedding frequency.     

Separated flow structures around a cylindrical obstacle in a narrow channel

A detailed experimental study is performed on the separated flow structures around a low aspect-ratio circular cylinder (pin-fin) in a practical configuration of liquid cooling channel. Distinctive features of the present arrangement are the confinement of the cylinder at both ends, water flow at low Reynolds numbers (Re = 800, 1800, 2800), very high core flow turbulence and undeveloped boundary layers at the position of the obstacle. The horseshoe vortex system at the junctions between the cylinder and the confining walls and the near wake region behind the obstacle are deeply investigated by means of Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). Upstream of the cylinder, the horseshoe vortex system turns out to be perturbed by vorticity bursts from the incoming boundary layers, leading to aperiodical vortex oscillations at Re = 800 or to break-away and secondary vorticity eruptions at the higher Reynolds numbers. The flow structures in the near wake show a complex three-dimensional behaviour associated with a peculiar mechanism of spanwise mass transport. High levels of free-stream turbulence trigger an early instabilization of the shear layers and strong Bloor–Gerrard vortices are observed even at Re = 800. Coalescence of these vortices and intense spanwise flow inhibit the alternate primary vortex shedding for time periods whose length and frequency increase as the Reynolds number is reduced. The inhibition of alternate vortex shedding for long time periods is finally related to the very large wake characteristic lengths and to the low velocity fluctuations observed especially at the lowest Reynolds number.     

Turbulent fuel-air mixing study of jet in crossflow at different velocity ratios using LES

In order to study the mixing mechanism of fuel and air in gas turbine, large eddy simulation has been used to investigate the methane jet-in-crossflow with the velocity ratio (R) of 1.5 and 4. This study aims to explore the formation mechanism of vortices such as the hairpin vortices, hovering vortices and horseshoe vortices, the relationship between the fuel–air mixing and flow characteristics at different velocity ratios. The numerical methods in the present work are firstly validated with the experimental data in terms of mean and root mean square values of velocity. For R = 4, the shear layer vortices, horseshoe vortices, counter-rotating vortices pairs (CVP) and wake vortices can be observed, while the jet shear layer cannot be observed for R = 1.5. The hairpin vortices originating from the vortice-ring are lifted and shed from the downstream of the jet-outlet due to Kutta-Joukowski lift. The hairpin vortices are similar to CVP. The horseshoe vortices in R = 1.5 and 4 are formed due to the blockage of the jet (CH₄) and the crossflow (air) respectively, and its evolution is associated with the hovering vortices which only exist for R = 1.5. The uniform index and pr-obability density function are used for quantitative analysis of the mixing performance. The uniform index at X/D = 0 (fuel-inlet) and at X/D = 25 (outlet) are 0.033 and 0.335 for R = 1.5 and 0.130 and 0.047 for R = 4. For R = 4, the jet penetration is higher and the deflection angle of jet is smaller than that in case of R = 1.5. Higher R will provide more region for mixing, therefore uniform index is higher and the mixing is more uniform in the downstream.     

Effect of velocity ratio on the streamwise vortex structures in the wake of a stack

The time-averaged velocity and streamwise vorticity fields within the wake of a stack were investigated in a low-speed wind tunnel using a seven-hole pressure probe. The experiments were conducted at a Reynolds number, based on the stack external diameter, of Re_D=2.3×10⁴. The stack, of aspect ratio AR=9, was mounted normal to a ground plane and was partially immersed in a flat-plate turbulent boundary layer, where the ratio of the boundary layer thickness to the stack height was δ/H≈0.5. The jet-to-cross-flow velocity ratio was varied from R=0 to 3, which covered the downwash, crosswind-dominated and jet-dominated flow regimes. In the downwash and crosswind-dominated flow regimes, two pairs of counter-rotating streamwise vortex structures were identified within the stack wake. The tip vortex pair located close to the free end of the stack, and the base vortex pair located close to the ground plane within the flat-plate boundary layer, were similar to those found in the wake of a finite circular cylinder, and were associated with the upwash and downwash flow fields within the stack wake, respectively. In the jet-dominated flow regime, a third pair of streamwise vortex structures was observed, referred to as the jet-wake vortex pair, which occurred within the jet-wake region above the free end of the stack. The jet-wake vortex pair had the same orientation as the base vortex pair and was associated with the jet rise. The peak vorticity and strength of the streamwise vortex structures were functions of the jet-to-cross-flow velocity ratio. For the tip vortex structures, their peak vorticity and strength reduced as the jet-to-cross-flow velocity ratio increased.     

Effect of self-issuing jets along the span on the near-wake of a square cylinder

The study herein focuses on the vortex shedding characteristics and near-wake vorticity patterns of a square cylinder having self-issuing jets through holes along its span. Three different values of spacing between the consecutive holes λ with respect to the cylinder diameter D, i.e., λ/D = 1.5, 3 and 4 are studied experimentally via Digital Particle Image Velocimetry for the Reynolds number range extending from 200 to 1,000. It has been observed that the three-dimensionality of the wake flow depends on the spacing between the holes and Re number. For sufficiently low Reynolds numbers, the jet flows issuing from the holes yield a non-uniform distribution of mean flow characteristics like the shedding frequency and the formation length of vortices along the span of the cylinder when the spacing between jets along centerline is close to wavelength of the naturally existing three-dimensional wake instability. Additionally, for Re number up to 500, the self-issuing jets emanating from the holes show an indirect interaction with shear layers originating from upper and lower separation lines of the cylinder. However, for higher Re numbers of 750 and 1,000, they directly interact with and modify the vortices forming from the cylinder.     

Influence of aspect ratio on the flow above the free end of a surface-mounted finite cylinder

The flow above the free end of a surface-mounted finite-height cylinder was studied in a low-speed wind tunnel using particle image velocimetry (PIV). Velocity measurements were made in vertical and horizontal measurement planes above the free end of finite cylinders of aspect ratios AR = 9, 7, 5 and 3, at a Reynolds number of Re = 4.2 × 10⁴. The relative thickness of the boundary layer on the ground plane was δ/D = 1.7. Flow separating from the leading edge formed a prominent recirculation zone on the free-end surface. The legs of the mean arch vortex contained within the recirculation zone terminate on the free-end surface on either side of the centreline. Separated flow from the leading edge attaches onto the upper surface of the cylinder along a prominent attachment line. Local separation downstream of the leading edge is also induced by the reverse flow and arch vortex circulation within the recirculation zone. As the cylinder aspect ratio is lowered from AR = 9 to AR = 3, the thickness of the recirculation zone increases, the arch vortex centre moves downstream and higher above the free-end surface, the attachment position moves downstream, and the termination points of the arch vortex move upstream. A lowering of the aspect ratio therefore results in accentuated curvature of the arch vortex line. Changes in aspect ratio also influence the vorticity generation in the near-wake region and the shape of the attachment line.     

Wakes of elliptical cylinders at low Reynolds number

The wakes of elliptical cylinders are numerically investigated at a Reynolds number Re_D = 150. ANSYS-Fluent, based on the finite volume method, is used to simulate two-dimensional Newtonian fluid flow. The cylinder cross-sectional aspect ratio (AR) is varied from 0.25 to 1.0 (circular cylinder), and the angle of attack (α) of the cylinder is changed as α = 0° – 90°. With the changes in AR and α, three distinct wake patterns (patterns I, II, III) are observed, associated with different characteristics of fluid forces. Steady wake (pattern I) is characterised by two steady bubbles forming behind the cylinder, occurring at AR < 0.37 and α < 2.5°. Time-mean drag and fluctuating lift coefficients are small. Pattern II refers to Karman wake followed by steady wake (AR ≥ 0.37 – 0.67, depending on α) with the Karman street transitioning to two steady shear layers downstream. An inflection angle α_i is identified where the time-mean drag of the elliptical cylinder is identical to that of a circular cylinder. Pattern III is the Karman wake followed by secondary wake (AR ≤ 0.67, α > 52°), where the Karman street forming behind the cylinder is modified to a secondary vortex street with a low frequency. The Time-mean drag coefficient is maximum for this pattern.     

Effects of the corner radius on the near wake of a square prism

The near wake of square cylinders with different corner radii was experimentally studied based on particle imaging velocimetry (PIV), laser doppler anemometry (LDA) and hotwire measurements. Four bluff bodies, i.e., r/d=0 (square cylinder), 0.157, 0.236, 0.5 (circular cylinder), where r is corner radius and d is the characteristic dimension of the bluff bodies, were examined. A conditional sampling technique was developed to obtain the phase-averaged PIV data in order to characterize quantitatively the effect of corner radii on the near-wake flow structure. The results show that, as r/d increases from 0 to 0.5, the maximum strength of shed vortices attenuates, the circulation associated with the vortices decreases progressively by 50%, the Strouhal number, St, increases by about 60%, the convection velocity of the vortices increases along with the widening of the wake width by about 25%, the vortex formation length and the wake closure length almost double in size. Meanwhile, both the vortex wavelength, λ _x , and the lateral spacing, λ _y , decrease as r/d increases, but the ratio of λ _y to λ _x is approximately 0.29, irrespective of r/d, which is close to the theoretical value of 0.281 for a stable Karman vortex street. The decrease in wavelength is probably responsible for the change in the flow structure from the approximately circular-shaped vortex at r/d=0 to the laterally stretched vortex at r/d=0.5. The leading edge corner radius is more important than the trailing one in influencing the near wake structure since it determines to a great extent the behavior of the streamlines, the separation angle and the base pressure. It is further found that the ratio of the mean drag coefficient to the total shed circulation, C _d/Γ₀, approaches a constant, about 0.25 for different bluff bodies in the subcritical flow regime. The streamwise evolution of vortices and the streamwise fluctuating velocity along the centerline for rounded cylinders are also discussed.     

On vortex shedding from low aspect ratio dual step cylinders

A dual-step cylinder is comprised of two cylinders of different diameters. A large diameter cylinder (D) with low aspect ratio (L/D) is attached to the mid-span of a small diameter cylinder (d). The present study investigates the effect of Reynolds number (Re_D) and L/D on dual step cylinder wake development for D/d=2, 0.2≤L/D≤3, and two Reynolds numbers, Re_D=1050 and 2100. Experiments have been performed in a water flume facility utilizing flow visualization, Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV), and Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). The results show that vortex shedding occurs from both the large and small diameter cylinders for 1≤L/D≤3 at Re_D=2100 and 2≤L/D≤3 at Re_D=1050. At these conditions, large cylinder vortices predominantly form vortex loops in the wake and small cylinder vortices form half-loop vortex connections. At lower aspect ratios, vortex shedding from the large cylinder ceases, with the dominant frequency in the large cylinder wake attributed to the passage of vortex filaments connecting small cylinder vortices. At these lower aspect ratios, the presence of the large cylinder induces periodic vortex dislocations. Increasing L/D increases the frequency of occurrence of vortex dislocations and decreases the dominant frequency in the large cylinder wake. The identified changes in wake topology are related to substantial variations in the location of boundary layer separation on the large cylinder, and, consequently, changes in the size of the vortex formation region. The results also show that the Reynolds number has a substantial effect on wake vortex shedding frequency, which is more profound than that expected for a uniform cylinder.     

Particle behavior in a turbulent pipe flow with a flat bed

Particle behavior in a turbulent flow in a circular pipe with a bed height h = 0.5R is studied at Re_b = 40,000 and for two sizes of particles (5 μm and 50 μm) using large eddy simulation, one-way coupled with a Lagrangian particle tracking technique. Turbulent secondary flows are found within the pipe, with the curved upper wall affecting the secondary flow formation giving rise to a pair of large upper vortices above two smaller vortices close to the pipe floor. The behavior of the two sizes of particle is found to be quite different. The 50 μm particles deposit forming irregular elongated particle streaks close to the pipe floor, particularly at the center of the flow and the pipe corners due to the impact of the secondary flows. The deposition and resuspension rate of the 5 μm particles is high near the center of the floor and at the pipe corners, while values for the 50 μm particles are greatest near the corners. Near the curved upper wall of the pipe, the deposition rate of the 5 μm particles increases in moving from the wall center to the corners, and is greater than that for the larger particles due to the effects of the secondary flow. The maximum resuspension rate of the smaller particles occurs above the pipe corners, with the 50 μm particles showing their highest resuspension rate above and at the corners of the pipe.     

Instantaneous flow field above the free end of finite-height cylinders and prisms

The flow above the free ends of surface-mounted finite-height circular cylinders and square prisms was studied experimentally using particle image velocimetry (PIV). Cylinders and prisms with aspect ratios of AR = 9, 7, 5, and 3 were tested at a Reynolds number of Re = 4.2 × 10⁴. The bodies were mounted normal to a ground plane and were partially immersed in a turbulent zero-pressure-gradient boundary layer, where the boundary layer thickness relative to the body width was δ/D = 1.6. PIV measurements were made above the free ends of the bodies in a vertical plane aligned with the flow centreline. The present PIV results provide insight into the effects of aspect ratio and body shape on the instantaneous flow field. The recirculation zone under the separated shear layer is larger for the square prism of AR = 3 compared to the more slender prism of AR = 9. Also, for a square prism with low aspect ratio (AR = 3), the influence of the reverse flow over the free end surface becomes more significant compared to that for a higher aspect ratio (AR = 9). For the circular cylinder, a cross-stream vortex forms within the recirculation zone. As the aspect ratio of the cylinder decreases, the reattachment point of the separated flow on the free end surface moves closer to the trailing edge. For both the square prism and circular cylinder cases, the instantaneous velocity vector field and associated in-plane vorticity field revealed small-scale structures mostly generated by the separated shear layer.     

Transition phenomena in the wake of a square cylinder

The transition phenomena in the wake of a square cylinder were investigated. The existence of mode A and mode B instabilities in the wake of a square cylinder was demonstrated. The critical Reynolds numbers for the inception of these instability modes were identified through the determination of discontinuities in the St–Re curves, and were found to have mean values of 160 and 204 for the onset of mode A and B instabilities, respectively. The spectra and time traces of the wake streamwise velocity component were found to display three distinct patterns in laminar, mode A and mode B flow regimes. Streamwise vortices with different wavelength at various Reynolds numbers were observed through different measures. The symmetries and evolution of the secondary vortices were observed using laser-induced-fluorescent dye. It was found that, just like the case of a circular cylinder, the secondary vortices from the top and bottom rows were out-of-phase with each other in the mode A regime, but in-phase with each other in the mode B regime. From the flow visualization, it was qualitatively proven that there is stronger interaction between braid regions in the mode B regime. At the same time, analysis of PIV measurements quantitatively demonstrated the presence of the stronger cross flow in mode B regime when compared to the mode A regime. It suggests that the in-phase symmetry of the mode B instability is the result of strong interaction between the top and bottom vortex rows. It was also observed that although the vorticity of the secondary vortices in the mode A regime was smaller, its circulation was more than twice that of mode B instability. Compared to primary vortices, the circulations of both mode A and mode B vortices were much smaller, which indicates that the secondary vortices most likely originate from the primary vortices. The wavelengths of the streamwise vortices in the mode A and B regimes were measured using the auto-correlation method, and were found to be 5.1 (±0.1)D, 1.3 (±0.1)D, and 1.1 (±0.1)D at Re=183 (mode A), 228 and 377 (both mode B), respectively. From the present investigation, mode A instability was likely to be due to the joint-effects of the deformation of primary vortex cores and the stretching of vortex sheets in the braid region. On the other hand, mode B instability was thought to originate from the “imprinting” process.     

The ultra-low Reynolds number airfoil wake

Lift force and the near wake of an NACA 0012 airfoil were measured over the angle (α) of attack of 0°–90° and the chord Reynolds number (Re _c ), 5.3 × 10³–5.1 × 10⁴, with a view to understand thoroughly the near wake of the airfoil at low- to ultra-low Re _c . While the lift force is measured using a load cell, the detailed flow structure is captured using laser-Doppler anemometry, particle image velocimetry, and laser-induced fluorescence flow visualization. It has been found that the stall of an airfoil, characterized by a drop in the lift force, occurs at Re _c  ≥ 1.05 × 10⁴ but is absent at Re _c  = 5.3 × 10³. The observation is connected to the presence of the separation bubble at high Re _c but absence of the bubble at ultra-low Re _c , as evidenced in our wake measurements. The near-wake characteristics are examined and discussed in detail, including the vortex formation length, wake width, spanwise vorticity, wake bubble size, wavelength of K–H vortices, Strouhal numbers, and their dependence on α and Re _c .     

Asymmetric vortex shedding flow past an inclined flat plate at high incidence

This paper reports an experimental investigation of the vortex shedding wake behind a long flat plate inclined at a small angle of attack to a main flow stream. Detailed velocity fields are obtained with particle-image velocimetry (PIV) at successive phases in a vortex shedding cycle at three angles of attack, α=20°, 25° and 30°, at a Reynolds number Re≈5,300. Coherent patterns and dynamics of the vortices in the wake are revealed by the phase-averaged PIV vectors and derived turbulent properties. A vortex street pattern comprising a train of leading edge vortices alternating with a train of trailing edge vortices is found in the wake. The trailing edge vortex is shed directly from the sharp trailing edge while there are evidences that the formation and shedding of the leading edge vortex involve a more complicated mechanism. The leading edge vortex seems to be shed into the wake from an axial location near the trailing edge. After shedding, the vortices are convected downstream in the wake with a convection speed roughly equal to 0.8 the free-stream velocity. On reaching the same axial location, the trailing edge vortex, as compared to the leading edge vortex, is found to possess a higher peak vorticity level at its centre and induce more intense fluid circulation and Reynolds stresses production around it. It is found that the results at the three angles of attack can be collapsed into similar trends by using the projected plate width as the characteristic length of the flow.     

Thermal characteristics of the wake shear layers from a slightly heated circular cylinder

In this paper, we investigate the thermal characteristics of wake shear layers generated by a slightly heated circular cylinder. Measurements of the fluctuating temperature were made in the region x/d = 0.6 to x/d = 3 (where x is the downstream distance from the cylinder axis and d is the cylinder diameter) using a single cold-wire probe. The Reynolds number Re was varied in the range 2,600–8,600. For Re = 5,500, simultaneous measurements were made with a rake of 16 cold wires, aligned in the direction of the mean shear, at x/d = 2 and 3. The results indicate that the passive temperature can be an effective marker of various instabilities of the wake shear layers, including the Kelvin–Helmholtz (KH) instability. The temperature data have confirmed the approximate Re ^m dependence of the KH instability frequency (f _KH) with different values of m over different ranges of Re, as reported previously in the literature. However, it is found that this power-law dependence is not exact, and a third-order polynomial dependence appears to fit the data well over the full range of Re. Importantly, it is found that the wake shear-layer instabilities can be grouped into three categories: (1) one with frequencies much smaller than the Bénard–Kármán-vortex shedding frequency, (2) one associated with the vortex shedding and (3) one related to the KH instability. The low-frequency shear-layer instabilities from both sides of the cylinder are in-phase, in contrast to the anti-phase high-frequency KH instabilities. Finally, the observed streamwise decrease in the mean KH frequency provides strong support for the occurrence of vortex pairing in wake shear layers from a circular cylinder, thus implying that both the wake shear layer and a mixing layer develop in similar fashion.