Dynamic response of a turbulent cylinder wake to sinusoidal inflow perturbations across the vortex lock-on range

TLDR: In this article, large-eddy simulations are employed to investigate the dynamic response of the turbulent wake of a circular cylinder to sinusoidal perturbations in the inflow velocity superposed on a mean component.

Abstract: Large-eddy simulations are employed to investigate the dynamic response of the turbulent wake of a circular cylinder to sinusoidal perturbations in the inflow velocity superposed on a mean component. The perturbation frequency is varied across the vortex lock-on range at a constant amplitude of 5% of the mean velocity corresponding to a Reynolds number of 2580. The effect on the instantaneous, time-averaged and phase-averaged characteristics of the near-wake flow and fluid forces on the cylinder is reported. Comparisons of the present simulations to experimental realizations show that the physics of the unsteady three-dimensional separated flow are well reproduced. The simulations capture the modification of the wake structure including the shrinking of the recirculation bubble and vortex-formation region and the enhancement of the wake fluctuations and vortex strength in the lock-on regime. These wake effects are accompanied by an increase in the steady and unsteady drag and the unsteady lift acting on the cylinder. An empirical formula for the amplification of the mean drag coefficient due to inflow perturbations and equivalent oscillations of the cylinder in a steady flow is provided from compilation of available data. Particular attention is given to the change in the timing of vortex shedding with respect to the imposed perturbation across the lock-on range in order to reveal the link between the vortex dynamics and the fluid-induced forces on the cylinder. It is shown that the phase at which vortices are shed from the cylinder shifts monotonically as a function of the perturbation frequency resulting in corresponding changes in the phase of the unsteady forces. It is further shown that the phase of the lift is directly linked to that of vortex shedding but the phase of the drag is biased by inertial forces due to added mass and induced pressure waves. Decomposition of the total in-line force to inviscid “potential-flow” and viscous “vortex-drag” components indicates that the latter exhibits a behavior which is not physically consistent. The stochastic character of vortex synchronization in turbulent wakes and the implications of the present findings for vortex-induced free in-line vibrations are also discussed.