Interactive vortex shedding from a pair of circular cylinders in a transverse arrangement

Interactive vortex shedding in the multiply connected domain formed by a pair of circular cylinders is analysed by the FEM–FDM blending technique. The vorticity–streamfunction formulation is used to solve the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations at Re = 100, with the time-dependent wall streamfunctions determined from the pressure constraint condition and the far-field streamfunctions from the integral series formula developed earlier by the authors. The standard Galerkin finite element method is used in the relatively small FEM subdomain and the finite difference method based on the general co-ordinate system in the rest of the flow domain. Symmetric, antisymmetric and asymmetric wake patterns are obtained confirming the earlier experimental findings. The bistable nature of the asymmetric vortex shedding as well as the intermittent drifting from one status to the other between symmetric and antisymmetric wake patterns are reported.