Numerical simulation of plate autorotation in a viscous fluid flow

A general formulation of the plane coupled dynamical and aerodynamical problem of the motion of a rigid body with a rotational degree of freedom in a viscous incompressible fluid flow is given. A computation technique for solving the Navier-Stokes equations based on the meshless viscous vortex domain method is used. The autorotation of a single plate and a pair of plates is investigated. The effect of the reduced moment of inertia and the Reynolds number on the angular rotation velocity is determined. The time dependences of the hydrodynamic loads are compared with the corresponding instantaneous flow patterns. The increased the autorotation velocity of two plates in tandem is detected.