Pressure and Vortex Shedding Patterns Around a Low Aspect Ratio Cylinder in a Sheared Flow at Transitional Reynolds Numbers

Abstract

Model tests were performed in a wind tunnel to determine vortex shedding patterns induced around a circular cylinder by spanwise shear in transitional Reynolds number flow. In addition, mean and fluctuating pressure measurements were obtained. The introduction of shear in the upstream flow generated two distinct cells of vortex frequencies behind the cylinder in the transcritical regime, thereby documenting for the first time that the re-established high Reynolds number shedding closely parallels patterns already observed in subcritical flow. The two cell pattern did not permit any correlation between shear level and cell length to be found.