Experimental investigation of flow through a bank of cylinders of varying geometry

An experimental investigation of a model forming fabric was conducted. The forming fabric was simplified and represented by a bank of two rows of cylinders. Particle image velocimetry (PIV), pressure drop, and hydrogen bubble visualization were used to evaluate the upstream and gross flow patterns for various diameter ratios and cylinder spacings at a Reynolds number of 65. It was found that for a row separation of 0.75 times the upstream cylinder diameter, the upstream flow matched that for a single row of cylinders. Further, it was found that when the pressure drop through the bank of cylinders was equal to the sum of the individual rows' pressure drops, the upstream flow converged to that of a single row.