Computation of Vortex Lock-In in the Laminar Wake of a Circular Cylinder Using Unsteady Monopole Sources

Abstract

The vortex lock-in in the laminar wake behind a circular cylinder induced by the unsteady monopole source is numerically simulated in this paper. The artificial compressibility method is employed to solve the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. A high-order accurate upwind flux-difference finite-volume scheme is used to discretize the flow field. The unsteady monopole source is simulated by a pulsating volume flux through the cylinder surface at a prescribed forcing frequency and amplitude. The forcing amplitude is set to a fixed value while the frequency is varied to search for the lock-in region. The flow field of the periodic lock-in state is examined in detail. Finally, the effects of a higher amplitude and a different source location are briefly investigated.