Induced parallel vortex shedding from a circular cylinder at Re of O(104) by using the cylinder end suction technique

In the present work, the objective is to attempt to induce parallel vortex shedding at a moderately high Reynolds number (=1.578 × 104) by using the cylinder end suction method, and measure the associated aerodynamic parameters.We first measured the aerodynamic parameters of a single circular cylinder without end suction, and showed that the quantities measured are in good agreement with equivalent data in the published literature. Next, by using different amount of end suction which resulted in increasing the cylinder end velocity by 1%, 2% and 2.5%, we were able to show that the above corresponded to the situation of under suction, optimal suction and over suction, respectively. With optimal suction, we demonstrated that the end suction method works at Re = 1.578 × 104. The shape of the primary vortex shed became straighter than when there is no end suction, and parameters like cylinder surface pressure distribution, drag force per unit span, as well as vortex shedding frequency all showed negligible spanwise variation. Further careful analyses showed that when compared to the naturally existing curved vortex shedding, with parallel vortex shedding the mid-span drag per unit span became slightly smaller, but the drag averaged over the cylinder span became slightly larger. For cylinder surface pressure, it was found that cylinder end effects mainly influenced the surface pressure in the angular ranges −180° ⩽ β < −60° and 60° < β ⩽ 180°. Without end suction, the cylinder surface pressure in the above ranges was found to increase (become less negative) slightly with |z/d|, but such increase disappeared when optimal end suction was applied, and the cylinder surface pressure distribution became spanwise location independent. As for the vortex shedding frequency (Strouhal number), although the Strouhal number showed spanwise variation when there is no end suction and negligible spanwise variation when optimal suction was applied, the difference between the spanwise averaged Strouhal number was quite negligible. With under suction, the spanwise dependence of various aerodynamic parameters existed, but was found to be not as significant as when no end suction was applied at all. With over suction, the flow situation was found to be practically no change from the optimal suction situation.