Vortex Shedding From Two Circular Cylinders in a Staggered Arrangement

Vortex shedding from two circular cylinders of equal diameter in a staggered configuration was studied experimentally in the subcritical Reynolds number regime, for Re = 3.2×10⁴–7.4×10⁴. The dimensionless centre-to-centre pitch ratio of the staggered cylinders was ranged from P/D = 1.125–4.0, and the incidence angle was varied in small increments from α = 0°–90°. The behaviour of the Strouhal number measurements was broadly classified according to whether the cylinders were closely, moderately, or widely spaced, corresponding to P/D < 1.5, 1.5 ≤ P/D ≤ 2.5, and P/D > 2.5, respectively. For closely spaced staggered configurations, the flow around the cylinders is similar to a single bluff body, and only a single Strouhal number is measured. For moderately spaced cylinders, two distinct Strouhal numbers are measured when α > 30°, but there is considerable scatter in the Strouhal data when α < 30°. For widely spaced cylinders, the Strouhal numbers remain close to that of a single circular cylinder, in contrast to the behaviour of the aerodynamic forces. Evidence of the outer lift peak is seen in the power spectra for the downstream cylinder.