Flow Structures around a Square Cylinder: Effect of Corner Chamfering

Abstract

In this paper, results of a flow visualization study on the flow around a square cylinder with corner chamfering are presented. The corners of the test cylinders were chamfered with each corner forming a triangle with chamfer dimension b. Experiments were conducted for b/Bo ratios of 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 where Bo is the side dimension of the uncut square cylinder. The flow structures, particularly the vortex shedding mode and mechanism around the uncut as well as chamfered square cylinders, were investigated in order to deduce the effect of corner modification. All the studies were conducted at a Reynolds number value of 2,100 (based on Bo) on both stationary and oscillating cylinders. For oscillating cases, a special mechanism was built to oscillate the cylinders (forced oscillation) at desired amplitudes and frequencies. Results indicates that corner chamfering brings notable changes in the near-wake flow structures of a square section cylinder both in stationary and oscillating conditions. In view of aerospace structures with similar geometries, the present results carry considerable practical significance. Many engineering structures carry square section geometry, such as buildings, bridge pylons, and so on, and are subjected to fluid flows. Flow around them can induce certain static and dynamic loads on these structures due to which eventually, they can fail if not designed properly. Flow-induced loads majorly depend on the body geometry. For square section cylinders (structures), corner shape is found to be a crucial factor that decides the nature of the flow field developed over them. This is because a properly designed corner shape can significantly bring down hydrodynamic/aerodynamic loads imposed on structures, ensuring structural safety. In this study, the corners of a square section cylinder are chamfered, and influence of this corner shape is studied through flow visualization. Flow visualization enables qualitative (mainly) as well as quantitative analysis of the flow field developed on the cylinder with different degrees of corner chamfering. This study brings out the effectiveness of corner chamfering in influencing the flow around a square cylinder, which represents an engineering structure in real world scenarios.