Numerical investigation on the suppression of VIV for a circular cylinder by three small control rods

Laminar flow past a circular cylinder with 3 small control rods is investigated by numerical simulation. This study is concerned with the suppression efficacy of vortex induced vibration by small control rods located around a main cylinder. The effects of the attack angle and rod-to-cylinder gap ratio on the hydrodynamics and vibration responses of the main cylinder are investigated. The attack angle of α = 45° is performed as the critical angle for VIV suppression of 3 control rods. The 3 control rods have no effect on VIV suppression when the attack angle is less than the critical angle. The 3 control rods have an excellent VIV suppression efficacy when the attack angle is larger than the critical angle. The transverse vibration frequency of the cylinder with 3 control rods is less than that for an isolated cylinder for all the configurations. The numerical results for the configurations of α = 45° & 60°, G/D = 0.6-1.2 show excellent suppression efficient among the cases investigated in this study. The best suppression efficient is found at α = 45°, G/D = 0.9 for 3 control rods. 2 rods in behind of the main cylinder perform more efficient than that of 1 rod in front for VIV suppression as the gap ratio of G/D less than 1.0.