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On the formation of vortex streets behind stationary cylinders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 April 2006

George S. Triantafyllou
Affiliation:
Department of Ocean Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Michael S. Triantafyllou
Affiliation:
Department of Ocean Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
C. Chryssostomidis
Affiliation:
Department of Ocean Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

Abstract

The formation of vortex streets behind stationary cylinders is found to be caused by an absolute instability in the wake immediately behind the cylinder. The inviscid Orr–Sommerfeld equation is used together with measured profiles at Reynolds numbers of (a) Re = 56 when the absolute instability provides a Strouhal number of 0.13; and (b) Re = 140000 providing a Strouhal number of 0.21, both in agreement with experimental values. At the subcritical Re = 34 the instability is of the convective type; i.e. the disturbance decays, being convected away once the external disturbance is removed, in agreement with experimental observations. Finally, the instability of the mode which causes a symmetric array of vortices is shown to be always of the convective type.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 1986 Cambridge University Press

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