Flow separation from polygonal cylinders in an incident flow

Abstract

Flow around bluff bodies has been studied for more than 200 years, especially since the discovery of K\'arm\'an vortex streets, however less attention has been paid to polygonal cylinders. In this study we used Large Eddy Simulations (LES) to investigate flow behavior, and especially shear layer separation, of polygonal cylinders with side number of N=5-8 in various incidence angles. The flow separation mechanism is then explained with a focus on the separation pattern as well as the flapping motion of the separated shear layer and its signature in time mean fields.

Topics & Concepts