Direct numerical simulations on oscillating flow past surface-mounted finite-height circular cylinder

In this work, a surface-mounted circular cylinder with a fixed aspect ratio (ratio of height of the cylinder to its diameter) of 5 is subjected to a non-zero mean oscillating flow with a range of frequencies and amplitudes. Three-dimensional direct numerical simulations are then conducted on this finite-height cylinder. The mass and momentum equations are resolved using the finite volume-based Open Source Field Operation and Manipulation (OpenFOAM). A fixed Reynolds number Re=UoD/ν of 250 is used in this study, which is defined based on mean velocity at the inlet ( Uo ) and cylinder diameter (D). Here ν is the kinematic viscosity of the working fluid. Non-dimensional velocity oscillation amplitude ( A∗=a/Uo ) is varied from 0.1 to 0.3, while the non-dimensional oscillation frequency ( f∗=f/fo ) takes the values of 0.33, 0.5, 1, 2, and 3. Here a and f are the dimensional oscillation amplitude and frequency, respectively and fo is the vortex shedding frequency corresponding to a uniform flow at Re = 250. The three-dimensional vortex structures, presented with the help of iso-Q surfaces, show that the oscillating flow changes the size and shape of the hairpin-shaped vortices. Wake is found to be synchronized with the oscillation frequency at f* = 2 for each value of the A* and results in the maximum lift force on the cylinder. Hilbert Huang transformation analysis of the transverse velocity signals at a specific point in the wake reveals that the wake is more complex and aperiodic in nature for f* values of 0.33, 0.5, and 1, whereas it is periodic for f* = 2 and 3. In order to further disclose the nonlinearity associated with the oscillating flow, the degree of stationarity is discussed corresponding to each value of A* and f*. Dynamic mode decomposition is exploited to obtain information about the coherent vortical structures and their spatial and temporal behavior in the wake with a change in the value of f*. Effects of A* and f* on the dynamic characteristics are also investigated.