Control of flow-induced vibration of a circular cylinder using a splitter plate

Abstract

A circular cylinder attached by a rigid splitter plate of different lengths was tested to examine its effects on the control of flow-induced vibration. Tests were carried out in a closed-loop water channel. A cylinder of diameter D = 20 mm and a mass ratio m* ≈ 50 was installed to oscillate in the transverse direction. A wide range of splitter length was considered, i.e., L/D = 0-3.5, at a range of reduced velocity Ur = 1-25 and the Reynolds number Re = 800-11 000. Numerical simulations were also conducted to reveal the flow structures associated with the vibration modes observed in the experiment. It is found that, as L/D increases from 0 to 0.25, the peak value of cylinder oscillation amplitude increases and appears at higher reduced velocities. When the splitter length continues to rise, galloping-type oscillations occur at L/D = 0.5 and 0.75. The transition stage has been found at L/D = 1.0. Oscillation is then significantly suppressed when the splitter length is larger than L/D = 1.5.