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Rectilinear drift and oscillation of a rotating cylinder placed in flow

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 May 2025

Rémi Bourguet*
Affiliation:
Institut de Mécanique des Fluides de Toulouse, Université de Toulouse and CNRS, Toulouse 31400, France
*
Corresponding author: Rémi Bourguet, remi.bourguet@imft.fr

Abstract

The system composed of a circular cylinder free to move along a transverse rectilinear path within a cross-current has often served as a canonical problem to study the vortex-induced vibrations (VIV) developing in the absence of structural restoring force, thus without structural natural frequency. The object of the present work is to extend the exploration of the behaviour of this system when the path is set to an arbitrary orientation, varying from the transverse to the streamwise direction, and the cylinder is forced to rotate about its axis. The investigation is conducted numerically at a Reynolds number equal to $100$, based on the body diameter and oncoming flow velocity, for structure to displaced fluid mass ratios down to $0.01$ and values of the rotation rate (ratio between body surface and oncoming flow velocities) ranging from $0$ to $1$. When the transverse symmetry is broken by the orientation of the trajectory or the forced rotation, the cylinder drifts along the rectilinear path, at a velocity that can be predicted by a quasi-steady approach. Three distinct regimes are encountered: a pure drift regime, where the body translates at a constant velocity, and two oscillatory regimes, characterised by contrasted forms of displacement fluctuation about the drifting motion, but both closely connected to flow unsteadiness. VIV, nearly sinusoidal, persist over a wide range of path orientations, for all rotation rates. On the other hand, irregular jumps of the body, triggered by the rotation and named saccades, emerge when the trajectory is aligned, or almost aligned, with the current. The two forms of response differ by their regularity, but also by their amplitudes and frequencies, which deviate by one or more orders of magnitude. The rotation attenuates both VIV and saccades. Yet, an increase of the rotation rate enhances the erratic nature of the saccade regime.

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Type
JFM Papers
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press
Figure 0

Figure 1. Sketch of the physical system.

Figure 1

Figure 2. (a) Time-averaged velocity of the cylinder and oscillation frequency as functions of the polynomial order, for $(\theta ,m^\star ,{ Re},\alpha )=(90^\circ ,0.01,100,1)$. (b) Time-averaged streamwise and transverse force coefficients as functions of the rotation rate, for a rigidly mounted cylinder at ${ Re}_r=200$. (c) Oscillation amplitude of an elastically mounted cylinder as a function of the reduced velocity, for $(\theta _s,m^\star _s,{ Re}_s,\alpha _s)=(90^\circ ,2.55,150,0)$. (d) Oscillation amplitude of a cylinder without SRF as a function of the mass ratio, for $(\theta ,{ Re},\alpha )=(90^\circ ,150,0)$. The present results are compared to those reported by Mittal & Kumar (2003) in (b), Bao et al. (2012) and Wang et al. (2019) in (c), and Ryan et al. (2005) and Navrose & Mittal (2017) in (d).

Figure 2

Figure 3. Selected time series of the cylinder (a) displacement, (b) velocity and (c) displacement fluctuation about its linear component, for (i) $(\theta ,m^\star ,\alpha )=(15^\circ ,0.5,0.1)$ (pure drift regime), (ii) $(\theta ,m^\star ,\alpha )=(45^\circ ,0.01,0.1)$ (VIV regime), (iii) $(\theta ,m^\star ,\alpha )=(75^\circ ,0.01,0.5)$ (VIV regime) and (iv) $(\theta ,m^\star ,\alpha )=(0^\circ ,0.15,1)$ (saccade regime). The displacement is set to zero at the initial sampling time. The drift velocity ($v$) and its predicted value ($v^{{qs}}$) are superimposed on the time series in (b). In (c), the displacement fluctuation is plotted together with the tangential force coefficient. In (iii), the structural dynamics issued from three-dimensional simulation results is represented by green dotted lines.

Figure 3

Figure 4. (a) Drift velocity, (b) effective flow velocity magnitude and (c) effective incidence angle, as functions of the incidence angle and rotation rate: (i) maps of the values predicted via the quasi-steady approach and (ii) values issued from the simulations for selected rotation rates. Grey dashed lines indicate the selected rotation rates in (i) and the corresponding predictions in (ii). The expressions of the drift velocity and effective flow velocity magnitude derived by symmetry considerations for $\alpha =0$ are specified in (a-ii) and (b-ii). In (ii), the coloured areas encompass the simulation results obtained for $m^\star \in [0.01,1]$. The inset in (a-ii) depicts the difference between the simulated drift velocity and the predicted value, as a function of the oscillation amplitude, for each rotation rate. In the large-amplitude oscillation cases encountered for $\theta \approx 0^\circ$, the simulated and predicted values of $v$ coincide (not visualised in the inset). In (b-i), the iso-contour $V^{{qs}}_{{eff}}=1$ is represented by a black dash-dotted line; the subcritical and postcritical regions are delimited by a light blue dotted line.

Figure 4

Figure 5. Effective (a) Reynolds number and (b) rotation rate as functions of the effective incidence angle, for selected rotation rates. The coloured areas encompass the values measured in the $(\theta ,m^\star )$ domain for each rotation rate (simulation results). The quasi-steady prediction results are represented by grey dashed lines. The results are plotted down to $\theta \approx 0.5^\circ$. In (a), the subcritical and postcritical regions are delimited by blue dotted segments. Green symbols denote the cases with SRF examined in figures 14 (stars), 15 (dots) and 16 (diamonds).

Figure 5

Figure 6. Oscillation (a) amplitude and (b) frequency as functions of the incidence angle and mass ratio, for (i) $\alpha =0$, (ii) $\alpha =0.1$, (iii) $\alpha =0.25$, (iv) $\alpha =0.5$ and (v) $\alpha =1$. The oscillation frequency is normalised by the effective flow velocity magnitude ($V_{{eff}}$) and the Strouhal frequency measured at the effective Reynolds number and rotation rate (${ Re}_{{eff}}$ and $\alpha _{{eff}}$). In (a), the subcritical and postcritical regions are delimited by a blue dotted line, while a blue solid line delineates the oscillation (VIV) region. In (ii)–(v), the region close to $\theta =0^\circ$ is masked; it is specifically examined in § 3.2.2. The horizontal stripes in (a-iv) and (a-v) indicate the area where the flow is three-dimensional.

Figure 6

Figure 7. Oscillation amplitude as a function of the incidence angle and rotation rate, for (a) $m^\star =0.01$, (b) $m^\star =0.2$ and (c) $m^\star =1$. The subcritical and postcritical regions are delimited by a blue dotted line. A blue solid line delineates the oscillation (VIV) region. The region close to $\theta =0^\circ$ is masked; it is examined in § 3.2.2. The horizontal stripes indicate the area where the flow is three-dimensional.

Figure 7

Figure 8. Selected time series of the cylinder (a) velocity, (b) velocity spectrum and (c) displacement fluctuation about its linear component, in typical cases of the second oscillation region (saccade regime), for (i) $(\theta ,m^\star ,\alpha )=(0^\circ ,0.01,0.1)$, (ii) $(\theta ,m^\star ,\alpha )=(0.1^\circ ,0.2,0.25)$, (iii) $(\theta ,m^\star ,\alpha )=(0.25^\circ ,1,0.5)$ and (iv) $(\theta ,m^\star ,\alpha )=(0^\circ ,0.01,1)$. The drift velocity ($v$) is superimposed on the time series in (a). In (b), the instantaneous spectral amplitude is normalised by its maximum value and the colour levels range from $0$ (black) to $1$ (yellow); a grey dashed line indicates half of the saccade frequency. In (c), the displacement fluctuation is plotted together with the tangential force coefficient.

Figure 8

Figure 9. (a) Oscillation amplitude, (b) velocity fluctuation amplitude and (c) saccade frequency, as functions of the rotation rate, in the saccade region. The amplitudes are quantified via the r.m.s. values of the displacement and velocity fluctuations. The ensemble average of all the available results (i.e. for $m^\star \in [0.01,1]$ and $\theta \approx 0^\circ$) is represented for each $\alpha$, and the shaded area visualises the standard deviation. In (b,c), the velocity fluctuation amplitude and saccade frequency are normalised by the rotation rate. Red dots denote the values measured in the four cases considered in figure 8. A light red dotted line indicates the trend identified in the lower-$\alpha$ range based on a limited number of simulations.

Figure 9

Figure 10. Flow–body system regime as a function of the incidence angle and rotation rate. To facilitate the visualisation of the different regimes, the $\theta$ axis range is discontinuous. The grey/yellow striped area depicts the evolution of the frontier between the pure drift and VIV regimes as the mass ratio is varied from $0.01$ to $1$; the displacement of this frontier towards higher $\theta$ as $m^\star$ is increased is denoted by a dashed arrow. A blue dashed line delimits the subcritical and postcritical regions.

Figure 10

Figure 11. Instantaneous (a,b) iso-contours and (c,d) iso-surfaces of spanwise vorticity, for (a) $(\theta ,m^\star ,\alpha )=(15^\circ ,0.5,0.1)$ (pure drift regime), (b) $(\theta ,m^\star ,\alpha )=(45^\circ ,0.01,0.1)$ (VIV regime), (c) $(\theta ,m^\star ,\alpha )=(75^\circ ,0.01,0.5)$ (VIV regime) and (d) $(\theta ,m^\star ,\alpha )=(90^\circ ,0.01,1)$ (VIV regime); $\omega _z\in [-0.5 V_{{eff}},0.5 V_{{eff}}]$ in (a,b) and $\omega _z=\pm 0.2 V_{{eff}}$ in (c,d). Positive/negative vorticity values are plotted in red/blue. The frame is centred about the instantaneous position of the cylinder. Its trajectory is indicated by grey solid lines. The direction of the effective flow seen by the body is visualised by red dashed lines. Part of the computational domain is shown.

Figure 11

Figure 12. (a) Selected time series of the cylinder displacement fluctuation and velocity, and (b) instantaneous iso-contours of spanwise vorticity ($\omega _z\in [-0.001,0.001]$), for $(\theta ,m^\star ,\alpha )=(0^\circ ,0.01,0.1)$ (saccade regime). Positive/negative vorticity values are plotted in red/blue. The successive instants visualised in (b) are indicated by grey dash-dotted lines in (a). Each frame is centred about the instantaneous position of the cylinder. Its trajectory is represented by a grey solid line. Part of the computational domain is shown.

Figure 12

Figure 13. Same as figure 12 for $(\theta ,m^\star ,\alpha )=(0^\circ ,0.15,1)$, $\omega _z\in [-0.1,0.1]$ (saccade regime).

Figure 13

Figure 14. (a,b) Oscillation amplitude with and without SRF as a function of (a) the oscillation frequency and (b) $-C^{\scriptscriptstyle f_\zeta }_m$. (c) Oscillation amplitude and frequency with SRF as functions of the reduced velocity. Three typical cases of the VIV regime are considered: (i) $(\theta ,{ Re},\alpha )=(90^\circ ,100,0)$ and $(\theta _{s},{ Re}_{s},\alpha _{s})=(90^\circ ,100,0)$; (ii) $(\theta ,{ Re},\alpha )=(90^\circ ,100,0.25)$ and $(\theta _{s},{ Re}_{s},\alpha _{s})=(69^\circ ,108,0.23)$; (iii) $(\theta ,{ Re},\alpha )=(90^\circ ,100,1)$ and $(\theta _{s},{ Re}_{s},\alpha _{s})=(41^\circ ,153,0.65)$. With SRF, the mass ratio is set to $1$; without SRF, $m^\star =-C^{\scriptscriptstyle f_\zeta }_m\in [0.01,1]$. In (a), the oscillation frequency is normalised by the effective flow velocity magnitude and the Strouhal frequency; distinct symbols are used to designate the responses with SRF where $C^{\scriptscriptstyle f_\zeta }_m$ is negative or positive, i.e. the responses accessible and inaccessible without SRF, respectively. In (b,c), yellow and grey background colours denote the regions where $C^{\scriptscriptstyle f_\zeta }_m \lt 0$ and $C^{\scriptscriptstyle f_\zeta }_m \gt 0$. In (c), the oscillation frequency is plotted together with the natural and Strouhal frequencies; the frequency range is normalised by the natural frequency.

Figure 14

Figure 15. Oscillation amplitude with SRF as a function of $-C^{\scriptscriptstyle f_\zeta }_m$ for $(\theta _{s},{ Re}_{s},\alpha _{s})=(90^\circ ,100,0)$ and $(\theta _{s},{ Re}_{s},\alpha _{s})=(41^\circ ,153,0.65)$, which correspond to $(\theta ,{ Re},\alpha )=(90^\circ ,100,0)$ and $(\theta ,{ Re},\alpha )=(90^\circ ,100,1)$ without SRF. An additional case is considered in each panel to examine the specific influence of $\theta _{s}$, ${ Re}_{s}$ and $\alpha _{s}$: (a) $(\theta _{s},{ Re}_{s},\alpha _{s})=(41^\circ ,100,0)$; (b) $(\theta _{s},{ Re}_{s},\alpha _{s})=(90^\circ ,153,0)$; (c) $(\theta _{s},{ Re}_{s},\alpha _{s})=(90^\circ ,100,0.65)$. The mass ratio is set to $1$. Yellow and grey background colours denote the regions of negative and positive added mass.

Figure 15

Figure 16. Oscillation amplitude with SRF as a function of $-C^{\scriptscriptstyle f_\zeta }_m$ for (i) $(\theta _{s},{ Re}_{s},\alpha _{s})=(90^\circ ,100,0)$, (ii) $(\theta _{s},{ Re}_{s},\alpha _{s})=(69^\circ ,108,0.23)$ and (iii) $(\theta _{s},{ Re}_{s},\alpha _{s})=(41^\circ ,153,0.65)$, which correspond to $(\theta ,{ Re},\alpha )=(90^\circ ,100,0)$, $(\theta ,{ Re},\alpha )=(90^\circ ,100,0.25)$ and $(\theta ,{ Re},\alpha )=(90^\circ ,100,1)$ without SRF; the amplitudes measured without SRF are also represented for comparison (symbols). Two additional cases with SRF, specified in the legend, are considered in each panel to examine the specific influence of $\theta _{s}$ (a), ${ Re}_{s}$ (b) and $\alpha _{s}$ (c). The mass ratio is set to $1$ in the cases with SRF. Yellow and grey background colours denote the regions of negative and positive added mass. The trends identified by varying each parameter are indicated by dashed arrows.

Figure 16

Figure 17. Sketch of the instantaneous flow seen by the cylinder moving at (a) incidence $\theta$ and velocity $\dot \zeta$, and (b) incidence $\theta '=180^\circ -\theta$ and velocity $\dot \zeta '=\dot \zeta -2\cos (\theta )$. The instantaneous flow (visualised in red colour) is the same in both cases, i.e. same velocity magnitude ($V_{{ ins}}$) and same relative incidence of body trajectory ($\theta _{{ ins}}$).