Viscous flow due to cylinders oscillating at low Keulegan-Carpenter numbers.

Abstract

Small amplitude oscillations of arbitrarily shaped cylinders are considered both experimentally and theoretically. The full Navier-Stokes equation is solved numerically using a finite difference scheme coupled with a conformal mapping technique. Numerical results of streaming, a non-linear response to harmonic motion, show complicated flow patterns. Experimental results confirm the existence of such flows. Streaming flow around a sharp corner of a square cylinder is investigated through numerical calculation and experimental flow visualization. The behavior of the drag and inertial coefficients related to flow transitions in this flow regime is considered through both theoretical and experimental study.