Instantaneous structure and statistical feature of unsteady flow in a channel obstructed by a square rod

A two-dimensional numerical computation has been made for an unsteady flow in a channel obstructed by an inserted square rod. The results of the computation made for the flow with a parabolic inlet velocity profile at a specific value of channel Reynolds number are analyzed in detail. The obtained results reveal that momentum transfer is enhanced due to the apparent shear stress resulting from the nonzero value of cross-correlation between the streamwise and normal components of fluctuating velocity, , just as in turbulent shear flows, although the studied flow is quite different from turbulent flows in the sense that it is highly periodical and therefore free from randomness. This periodicity leads to a quick recovery of the velocity defect in some region of the wake of the rod. Special attention is paid to the time variation of flow structure. The crisscross motion of the Karman vortex previously found to occur is discussed again, and how it appears is explained in terms of the interaction between the Karman vortex and the disturbed wall shear layer. In the discussion of this relationship, wavering motion of the separation vorticity layers formed on both sides of the rod and the periodic formation of an isolated vortex island from the lifted tip of the wall vorticity layer are analyzed. The vortex island is found to play an important role not only for the occurrence of the crisscross motion of Karman vortex but also for the generation of the nonzero value of .