Flow Past Two Freely Rotatable Triangular Cylinders in Tandem Arrangement

In this paper we investigate the interaction of two freely rotatable triangular cylinders that are placed in tandem in a laminar flow. To study how the spacing between the two cylinders may influence the dynamic behavior of the cylinders and vortical structure of the flow, we have performed a series of numerical simulations of the two-cylinder-flow system. In all the simulations, the dimensionless moment of inertia and Reynolds number are fixed to 1.0 and 200, respectively. Four cases with the spacing ratio (L/D) of 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, and 5.0 are studied. With the increase of spacing, three different states of motion of the system are found. At L/D = 2.0, oscillatory rotation (swinging in both directions) is observed. At L/D = 3.0 both cylinders exhibit quasi-periodic autorotations. At L/D = 4.0 and 5.0, a more complicated pattern (irregular autorotation) is observed. For each case, the time history of angular velocity, the phase portrait (angular acceleration versus angular velocity,) and the spectra of the moments of forces on both cylinders are plotted and analyzed. The vortical structures in the near and far wake are visualized. Physical interpretations for various phenomenon observed are presented whenever possible.