An experimental and numerical investigation of the free vibration of an elastic cylinder in a cross-flow

This paper examines the flow-induced vibrations of an elastic cylinder in a cross-flow at two different reduced velocities, one near and one away from synchronization, and attempts a comparison between measurements and numerical calculations. It is the interaction between the flow and the motion of the cylinder that is the subject of this investigation. The present approach solves the flow field using a finite element method and models the cylinder motions using a two-degree-of-freedom structural dynamics model. An experiment to measure the vibration amplitude of the freely vibrating cylinder has been carried out at the same reduced velocity, damping factor and mass ratio as the numerical calculations. The measured drag, transverse displacements and their spectral characteristics are compared with the numerical results. Good agreement between measurements and calculations is obtained.