FLOW OVER CYLINDER

FLOW OVER CYLINDER DEPENDS ON REYNOLD NUMBER

Re<5: THERE IS NO SEPERATION 5<Re<40:FIXED PAIR OF SYMMETRIC VORTICES 40<Re<200:LAMINAR VORTEX STREET 200<Re<300:TRANSITION TO TARBULANCE IN THE WAKE 300<Re<300000: WAKE COMPLETELY TARBULENT.SUBCRITICAL FLOW REGIME 300000<Re<350000:CRITICAL FLOW. (LOWER TRANSITION) 350000<Re<1500000:SUPER CRITICAL FLOW 1500000<Re<4500000:UPPER TRANSITION

VORTEX SHEDDING
VORTEX SHEDDING IS AN OSCILLATING FLOW THAT TAKE PLACE WHEN FLUID SUCH AS AIR OR WATER FLOW PAST CYLINDRICAL BODY AT CERTAIN VELOCITIES,DEPENDING ON THE SIZE AND SHAPE OF THE BODY. THE FLUID FLOW PAST THE OBJECT CREATES ALTERNATING LOW PRESSURE VORTICES ON THE DOWNSTREAM SIDE OF THE OBJECT & OBJECT TENDS TO MOVE TOWARDS LOW PRESSURE ZONE.

MECHANISM OF VORTEX SHEDDING

FOR Re>40 BOUNDRY LAYER OVER THE CYLINDRICAL SURFACE WILL SEPARATE DUE TO ADVERSE PRESSURE GRADIENT IMPOSED BY DIVERGENT GEOMETRY OF FLOW ENVIRONMENT AT THE REAR SIDE OF THE CYLINDER. BOUNDRY LAYER FORMED ALONG THE CYLINDER CONTAINS SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF VORTICITY.THIS VORTICITY FED INTO THE SHEAR LAYER FORMED DOWNSTREAM OF THE SEPERATION POINT AND CAUSES SHEAR LAYER TO ROLL UP INTO A VORTEX. LIKEWISE VORTEX ROTATING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTION FORMED AT THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CYLINDER.

VORTEX SHEDDING

IMPORTANCE OF STUDYING VORTEX SHEDDING

IF CYLINDRICAL STRUCTURE IS NOT MOUNTED RIGIDLY,AND IF FREQUENCY OF VORTEX SHEDDING MATCHES WITH THE FREQUENCY OF STRUCTURE THEN STRUCTURE WILL BEGIN TO RESONATE. IT MAY FAIL. EXAMPLE. TALL CHIMNEY SUBJECTED TO AIR FLOW TALL BUILDING,BRIDGE PILLER TOWER PERMENENTLY EXPOSED TO WIND

STROUHAL NUMBER
St=St(Re) VORTEX SHEDDING FREQUENCY SEEN TO BE FUNCTION OF REYNOLD NUMBER. IN WHICH St=fD/U where f=shedding frequency D=dia. Of cylinder U=velocity of flow

DRAG
Theoretical: Beautifully behaved but mythically thin boundary layer and wake region Actual: High separated Flow and large wake region

NO DRAG

HIGH DRAG

LIFT
FOR THE REYNOLD NUMBER BETWEEN 300000 TO 350000 BOUNDRY LAYER BECOMES TARBULENT AT SEPERATION POINT BUT ONLY AT ONE SIDE OF CYLINDER BOUNDRY LAYER SEPERETION IS TARBULENT AT OTHER SIDE OF THE CYLINDER.THIS FLOW ASYMMETRY CAUSES NONZERO LIFT ON THE CYLINDER.