On splitter plate coverage for suppression of vortex-induced vibrations of flexible cylinders

•Experimental results obtained with a flexible cylinder with low mass ratio show the effectiveness of splitter plates for reducing VIV.•Splitter plates covering less than half of the flexible cylinder model length yield VIV reductions of up to 90%.•The VIV reduction is accompanied by a 50% drag reduction.

Experimental results show how vortex-induced vibration (VIV) amplitudes of flexible cylinders can be reduced up to a 90% by covering less than half of the length of the cylinder with splitter plates elastically mounted to the surface of the cylinder.The VIV amplitude reduction takes place along with drag coefficient reductions of up to a 50% for the reduced velocities investigated.