Unsteady force measurements in sphere flow from subcritical to supercritical Reynolds numbers

The flow over a smooth sphere is examined in the Reynolds number range of 5.0 × 10⁴ < Re < 5.0 × 10⁵ via measurements of the fluctuating forces and particle image velocimetry measurements in a planar cut of the velocity field. Comprehensive studies of the statistics and spectra of the forces are presented for a range of subcritical and supercritical Reynolds numbers. While the subcritical lateral force spectra are dominated by activity corresponding to the large-scale vortex shedding frequency at a Strouhal number of approximately 0.18, there is no such peak apparent in the supercritical spectra, although resolution effects may become important in this region. Nor does the large-scale vortex shedding appear to have a significant effect on the drag force fluctuations at either sub- or super-critical Reynolds numbers. A simple double spring model is shown to capture the main features of the lateral force spectra. The low-frequency force fluctuations observed in earlier computational studies are shown to have important implications for statistical convergence, and in particular, the apparent mean side force observed in earlier studies. At least one thousand dimensionless time units are required for reasonable estimates of the second and higher moments below the critical Reynolds number and even more for supercritical flow, stringent conditions for computational studies. Lastly, investigation of the relationship between the motion of the instantaneous wake shape, defined via the local position where the streamwise velocity is equal to half the freestream value, and the in-plane lateral force for subcritical flow reveals a significant negative correlation throughout the near wake, which is shown to be related to a structure inferred to arise from the large-scale vortex shedding convecting downstream at 61% of the freestream velocity. In addition to its utility in understanding basic sphere flow, the apparatus is also a testbed that will be used in future studies, examining the effect of both static and dynamic changes to the surface morphology.     

Suppression of lift fluctuations on a circular cylinder by inducing the symmetric vortex shedding mode

The flow around a stationary circular cylinder modified by two synthetic jets positioned at the mean separation points is numerically studied. The Reynolds number based on the free-stream velocity and the circular cylinder diameter is Re=500. The focus is to present a novel way to suppress the lift fluctuations by changing the vortex shedding mode, and thus particular attention is paid to the interactions between the synthetic jets and wake shear layers and the resulting vortex dynamics. The overall influences of both momentum coefficient and excitation frequency are discussed. In some simulated cases, the vortex lock-on phenomenon is discovered, which causes the typical Kàrmàn type vortex shedding to be converted into the symmetric shedding modes, leading to the complete suppression of lift fluctuations. In other cases, the asymmetric shedding mode still dominates the wake evolution. Detailed vortical evolution for each typical wake pattern is analyzed to reveal the control mechanism. Additionally, the control effectiveness is evaluated, indicating that the present control strategy contributes an effective way to suppress the lift fluctuations and reduce the mean drag.     

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.     

Vortex motions in stratified wake flows

The vortex wakes of obstacles (circular cylinder and sphere) moving through a linearly stratified fluid have been investigated, by means of flow visualization, at Reynolds numbers smaller than 800 and non-dimensional buoyancy frequencies smaller than 6. Vortex shedding from a horizontally suspended circular cylinder is suppressed when the fluid is stratified. The wake of a sphere is affected by lee waves when the Reynolds number exceeds about 200.     

Dynamic interaction of fixed dual spheres for several configurations and inflow conditions

The changes in force characteristics as well as the shedding patterns for various dual sphere configurations are studied. The Reynolds numbers considered are 300, 600 and two different inflow conditions are used: steady and pulsating. The sphere formations are defined by the separation distance D₀ between the spheres and the angle between the line connecting the centres of the spheres and the main flow direction, γ. The position of one of the spheres is varied in the range 0°–90° using a 15° increment. Two separation distances are studied; 1.5D and 3D. The method used for the simulations is the Volume of Solid (VOS) approach, a method based on Volume of Fluid (VOF). A major conclusion from this work is that the sphere interaction alters the wake dynamics by obstructing the vortex shedding (generating a steady wake or a wake with lower Strouhal number) and by changing the direction of the lift force so that it in most cases is directed in the plane containing the sphere centres. The results also show that changing the inflow condition gives the same relative change in drag and lift as for a single sphere. The drag is substantially reduced by placing the sphere downstream in a tandem arrangement and slightly increased in a side-by-side arrangement. However, the effect is decreased by increasing separation distance and increasing Reynolds number.     

Mean and fluctuating components of drag and lift forces on an isolated finite-sized particle in turbulence

We perform fully resolved direct numerical simulations of an isolated particle subjected to free-stream turbulence in order to investigate the effect of turbulence on the drag and lift forces at the level of a single particle, following Bagchi and Balachandar’s work (Bagchi and Balachandar in Phys Fluids 15:3496–3513, 2003). The particle Reynolds numbers based on the mean relative particle velocity and the particle diameter are Re?=?100, 250 and 350, which covers three different regimes of wake evolution in a uniform flow: steady axisymmetric wake, steady planar symmetric wake, and unsteady planar symmetric vortex shedding. At each particle Reynolds number, the turbulent intensity is 5–10% of the mean relative particle velocity, and the corresponding diameter of the particle is comparable to or larger than the Kolmogorov scale. The simulation results show that standard drag values determined from uniform flow simulations can accurately predict the drag force if the turbulence intensity is sufficiently weak (5% or less compared to the mean relative velocity). However, it is shown that for finite-sized particles, flow non-uniformity, which is usually neglected in the case of the small particles, can play an important role in determining the forces as the relative turbulence intensity becomes large. The influence of flow non-uniformity on drag force could be qualitatively similar to the Faxen correction. In addition, finite-sized particles at sufficient Reynolds number are inherently subjected to stochastic forces arising from their self-induced vortex shedding in addition to lift force arising from the local ambient flow properties (vorticity and strain rate). The effect of rotational and strain rate of the ambient turbulence seen by the particle on the lift force is explored based on the conditional averaging using the generalized representation of the quasi-steady force proposed by Bagchi and Balachandar (J Fluid Mech 481:105–148, 2003). From the present study, it is shown that at Re?=?100, the lift force is mainly influenced by the surrounding turbulence, but at Re = 250 and 350, the lift force is affected by the wake structure as well as the surrounding turbulence. Thus, for a finite-sized particle of sufficient Reynolds number supporting self-induced vortex shedding, the lift force will not be completely correlated with the ambient flow. Therefore, it appears that in order to reliably predict the motion of a finite-sized particle in turbulence, it is important to incorporate both a deterministic component and a stochastic component in the force model. The best deterministic contribution is given by the conditional average. The influence of ambient turbulence at the scale of the particle, which are not accounted for in the deterministic contribution, can be considered in stochastic manner. In the modeling of lift force, additional stochastic contribution arising from self-induced vortex shedding must also be included.     

Experimental study of flow past a square cylinder at high Reynolds numbers

 Measurements of two-components of velocity in the wake of a square cylinder using a hot-wire anemometer are reported. Two Reynolds numbers, namely 8700 and 17,625, have been considered. The measurements were carried out in a low-speed, low-turbulence wind tunnel. Benchmark experiments at much lower Reynolds numbers show good agreement between the present experiments and published results. At higher Reynolds numbers, the experimental data reveal anticipated trends in terms of wake recovery and turbulence decay. Both velocity and velocity fluctuations show symmetry about the wake axis. The experimental data have been compared with the large eddy simulation (LES) calculation reported by Wang et al. [University of Illinois at Urbana – Champaign (1996) Report CFD 96-03] and LDV measurements of Lyn et al. [J Fluid Mech (1995) 304: 285–319]. The agreement among the three sets is generally acceptable in terms of the time-averaged velocity components, but not the velocity fluctuations. The turbulence fluctuations in the present experiments are seen to be lower than in the referred work. The differences have been traced to factors such as the aspect ratio, blockage ratio and upstream turbulence. Experiments with increased upstream turbulence did show a reduction in the discrepancy between the present experiments and the published data. An assessment of the experimental data in terms of physical mechanisms revealed that (a) streamwise normal stresses were correlated with the vortex centers, and (b) the turbulence kinetic energy profiles are similar to the turbulence shear stress. Spectral analysis of the velocity signals was carried out in the present work. Energy transfer from the mean flow to the streamwise velocity fluctuation was confirmed in the near wake. A redistribution of the kinetic energy between the streamwise and transverse components of velocity over a longer distance downstream was subsequently observed. Received: 17 May 1999/Accepted: 29 December 1999     

Wake dynamics of external flow past a curved circular cylinder with the free-stream aligned to the plane of curvature

The fundamental mechanism of vortex shedding past a curved cylinder has been investigated at a Reynolds number of 100 using three-dimensional spectral/hp computations. Two different configurations are presented herein: in both cases the main component of the geometry is a circular cylinder whose centreline is a quarter of a ring and the inflow direction is parallel to the plane of curvature. In the first set of simulations the cylinder is forced to transversely oscillate at a fixed amplitude, while the oscillation frequency has been varied around the Strouhal value. Both geometries exhibit in-phase vortex shedding, with the vortex cores bent according to the body's curvature, although the wake topology is markedly different. In particular, the configuration that was found to suppress the vortex shedding in absence of forced motion exhibits now a primary instability in the near wake. A second set of simulations has been performed imposing an oscillatory roll to the curved cylinder, which is forced to rotate transversely around the axis of its bottom section. This case shows entirely different wake features from the previous one: the vortex shedding appears to be out-of-phase along the body's span, with straight cores that tend to twist after being shed and manifest a secondary spanwise instability. Further, the damping effect stemming from the transverse planar motion of the part of the cylinder parallel to the flow is no longer present, leading to a positive energy transfer from the fluid to the structure.     

OBLIQUE VORTEX SHEDDING BEHIND TAPERED CYLINDERS

The vortex shedding in the wake behind linearly tapered circular cylinders has been considered for the two taper ratios 75:1 and 100:1. The Reynolds number based on the velocity of the incoming flow and the largest diameter was in the range from 130 to 180. The low Reynolds number assured that laminar flow prevailed in the entire flow field. The full unsteady three-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations were solved numerically with the view of exploring the rather complex vortex shedding phenomena caused by the variation of the natural shedding frequency along the span of the cylinder. The accurate computer simulations showed that this variation gave rise to discrete shedding cells, each with its own characteristic frequency and inclined with respect to the axis of the cylinder. Flow visualizations revealed that vortex dislocation and splitting took place in the numerically simulated flow fields. The computer simulations compared surprisingly well with the extensive laboratory experiments reported by Piccirillo & Van Atta in 1993 for a range of comparable conditions; this has enabled detailed analyses of other flow variables (notably pressure and vorticity) than those readily accessible in a physical experiment. However, distinct differences in the vortex dynamics are observed in some of the cases.     

Effect of vortex shedding in unsteady aerodynamic forces for a low Reynolds number stationary wing at low angle of attack

This study elucidates the relation between wake vortex shedding and aerodynamic force fluctuations for a low Reynolds number wing from time resolved particle image velocimetry (TR-PIV) experimental measurements. The results reveal a periodic lift and drag variation within the shedding cycle and resolve the frequencies of those fluctuations from a proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) and power spectral density (PSD) analysis. To show the effect of vortex shedding on the body force fluctuations, the evolution of instantaneous aerodynamic forces is compared to the pressure field of the fluid flow and to the vortical structures in the wake of the airfoil. A six step model describing the vortex-force relation is proposed. It shows that changes in lift such as maximum lift and minimum lift are associated with the detachment of a vortex. It also shows that the minimum or local minimum drag value is obtained at the onset formation of a vortex on the airfoil wake. Similarly, the maximum or local maximum drag is obtained at the onset formation of the saddle on the airfoil wake. The model further explains the asymmetry observed in the unsteady drag force evolution. The model can be used to optimize flow control and fluid-structure interaction applications.     

Experimental investigation of a blunt trailing edge flow field with application to sound generation

The unsteady lift generated by turbulence at the trailing edge of an airfoil is a source of radiated sound. The objective of the present research was to measure the velocity field in the near wake region of an asymmetric beveled trailing edge in order to determine the flow mechanisms responsible for the generation of trailing edge noise. Two component velocity measurements were acquired using particle image velocimetry. The chord Reynolds number was 1.9 × 10⁶. The data show velocity field realizations that were typical of a wake flow containing an asymmetric periodic vortex shedding. A phase average decomposition of the velocity field with respect to this shedding process was utilized to separate the large scale turbulent motions that occurred at the vortex shedding frequency (i.e., those responsible for the production of tonal noise) from the smaller scale turbulent motions, which were interpreted to be responsible for the production of broadband sound. The small scale turbulence was found to be dependent on the phase of the vortex shedding process implying a dependence of the broadband sound generated by the trailing edge on the phase of the vortex shedding process.     

Vortex dynamics of a sphere wake in proximity to a wall

Toward getting the vortex dynamics characteristics and wake structure of a sphere in proximity to a wall, the effect of a proximal flat plate on the wake of a stationary sphere is investigated via direct numerical simulation. The vortex shedding process and the significant variation of the wake structure are described in detail. The drag coefficient reduces and the wake structure of the sphere becomes complex due to the combined effect of the wake flow and the wall. A jet flow forms between the sphere and the flat plate, which suppresses the vortex separation on the bottom of the sphere. The asymmetric distributions of the coherent structures and the recirculation region behind the sphere are discussed. Besides vortex shedding patterns, the time-averaged velocity distribution, vortex dynamics, distribution regularities of turbulent kinetic energy and enstrophy are investigated.     

Comparison of velocity and temperature measurements with simulations in a hypersonic wake flow

A hypersonic shock-tunnel flow around an axisymmetric model of a planetary entry probe is analyzed. Planar laser-induced fluorescence is applied to measure both the velocity and the rotational temperature everywhere in the central plane of the flow field. The experimental test case is compared to simulations using the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method. While the Mach 9.7 flow at a freestream Reynolds number based on the model diameter of 35,000 is chemically frozen, effects of thermal non-equilibrium and localized rarefaction cannot be neglected. DSMC and measurements agree well within the outer wake, but disagree close to the centerline, where in particular the measured velocity is higher than values predicted by the simulations. The experimental results indicated a shorter recirculation region and increased local fluctuations in the free shear layer upstream of the wake recompression shock when compared to the simulation. These effects are attributed to incipient transition, which is not observed in the simulations, as the simulations did not model the effects of freestream fluctuations. Furthermore, measured and simulated vorticities are compared with theoretical predictions.     

Flow past a sphere in density-stratified fluid

Stratified flow past a three-dimensional obstacle such as a sphere has been a long-lasting subject of geophysical, environmental and engineering fluid dynamics. In order to investigate the effect of the stratification on the near wake, in particular, the unsteady vortex formation behind a sphere, numerical simulations of stratified flows past a sphere are conducted. The time-dependent Navier–Stokes equations are solved using a three-dimensional finite element method and a modified explicit time integration scheme. Laminar flow regime is considered, and linear stratification of density is assumed under Boussinesq approximation. The effects of stratification is implemented by density transport without diffusion. The computed results include the characteristics of the near wake as well as the effects of stratification on the separation angle. Under increased stratification, the separation on the sphere is suppressed and the wake structure behind the sphere becomes planar, resembling that behind a vertical cylinder. With further increase in stratification, the wake becomes unsteady, and consists of planar vortex shedding similar to von Karman vortex streets.     

Laser-optical investigation of turbine wake flow

The vortex street of a turbine blade profile (VKI-1, 58 mm chord length) was investigated by particle image velocimetry (PIV) and laser vibrometry in a Mach number range between 0.26 and 0.78. While the laser vibrometer (LV) measured the frequency of the density fluctuations in the wake and around the profile, PIV helped to clarify the vortex shedding process. The recordings done by the LV resulted in detailed frequency data of vortex shedding when Mach number and Reynolds number were varied, while the results obtained by PIV enabled a phase resolved measurement of the flow field during vortex shedding.     

Wake development in staggered short cylinder arrays within a channel

Staggered arrays of short cylinders, known as pin?Cfins, are commonly used as a heat exchange method in many applications such as cooling electronic equipment and cooling the trailing edge of gas turbine airfoils. This study investigates the near wake flow as it develops through arrays of staggered pin fins. The height-to-diameter ratio was unity while the transverse spacing was kept constant at two cylinder diameters. The streamwise spacing was varied between 3.46 and 1.73 cylinder diameters. For each geometric arrangement, experiments were conducted at Reynolds numbers of 3.0e3 and 2.0e4 based on cylinder diameter and velocity through the minimum flow area of the array. Time-resolved flowfield measurements provided insight into the dependence of row position, Reynolds number, and streamwise spacing. Decreasing streamwise spacing resulted in increased Strouhal number as the near wake length scales were confined. In the first row of the bundle, low Reynolds number flows were mainly shear-layer-driven while high Reynolds number flows were dominated by periodic vortex shedding. The level of velocity fluctuations increased for cases having stronger vortex shedding. The effect of streamwise spacing was most apparent in the reduction of velocity fluctuations in the wake when the spacing between rows was reduced from 2.60 diameters to 2.16 diameters.     

Direct numerical simulation of turbulent wake behind a surface-mounted square cylinder

In this research, direct numerical simulation has been performed to study the turbulent wake behind a wall-mounted square cylinder with aspect ratio 4 and Reynolds number 12 000 (based on the free-stream velocity and obstacle side length) in a developing boundary layer. Owing to the relatively high Reynolds number and high aspect ratio of the cylinder tested, the wake is wide spread behind the cylinder and exhibits complex and energetic vortex motions. The lateral and tip vortex shedding patterns at different frequencies, coherent structures downstream of the obstacle, the production rate and distribution of turbulent kinetic energy, and the instantaneous pressure distribution in the wake region have been thoroughly investigated. In order to validate the numerical results, the first- and second-order flow statistics obtained from the simulations have been carefully compared against available wind-tunnel measurement data.     

Uncovering large-scale coherent structures in natural and forced turbulent wakes by combining PIV,POD, and FTLE

Planar velocity data of the unsteady separated flow in the turbulent wake of a circular cylinder obtained by particle image velocimetry (PIV) are analyzed in order to visualize the large-scale coherent structures associated with alternating vortex shedding at a Reynolds number of 2,150. Two different cases are examined: unforced vortex shedding in the natural wake and vortex lock-on incited by forced perturbations superimposed in the inflow velocity. Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) is employed to reconstruct the low-order wake dynamics from randomly sampled snapshots of the velocity field. The reconstructed flow is subsequently used to determine the evolution of the finite-time Lyapunov exponent (FTLE) fields which identify the Lagrangian coherent structures. The results demonstrate that the combination of methods employed offers a powerful visualization tool to uncover large-scale coherent structures and to exemplify vortex dynamics in natural and forced bluff-body wakes.     

非定常空化流动涡旋运动及其流体动力特性

采用大涡模拟方法对绕水翼云状空化的水动力特性和非定常流场结构进行研究. 基于实验结果对数值方法进行验证,分析空化与流场内部涡旋结构之间的相互作用以及对水翼动力特性的影响. 研究结果表明:大涡模拟方法可以准确模拟绕水翼流动的非定常过程. 在无空化条件下,升阻力系数存在斯特劳哈数St = 0.85 的主频波动,这是由水翼尾部涡旋结构的发展脱落引起的;在云状空化条件下,升阻力系数存在St = 0.34 的高能量密度低频波动,这是由大规模云状空泡团的发展和脱落引起的;云状空化阶段的升阻力系数在St = 0.5~1.5 的范围内都存在较高的波动,这是由于空化现象对水翼尾缘涡旋结构的发展和脱落产生影响,在不同发展阶段,空化现象不同程度地降低尾缘涡旋结构脱落频率.      

Instability of the flow around an impacting sphere

Results from an experimental and numerical study of the flow generated by a sphere immersed in fluid, impacting normally without rebound on a solid wall, are presented. The parameters are the running distance before impact and the sphere Reynolds number. For running lengths less than 7.5 diameters, the sphere wake before impact is axisymmetric in the form of an attached vortex ring. After impact, this ring overtakes the sphere and spreads out along the wall. For Reynolds numbers below 1000, the flow remains axisymmetric at all times. For higher values, perturbations of azimuthal wavenumbers 20–25 are observed on the vortex ring, leading to a breakdown of the flow. We analyse different hypotheses concerning the origin of this instability, with the conclusion that a centrifugal instability mechanism is likely to be acting in this flow. Comparisons are made with the flow involving an isolated vortex ring approaching a wall. Numerical simulations of this case have revealed that two distinct instability mechanisms are operating, one of which appears to be similar to the centrifugal instability observed for the sphere impact.