Selective Surface Roughness to Suppress Flow-Induced Motion of Two Circular Cylinders at 30,000<Re<120,000 Available to Purchase

In the Marine Renewable Energy Laboratory of the University of Michigan, selectively located surface roughness has been designed successfully to suppress vortex-induced vibrations of a single cylinder by 60% compared to a smooth cylinder. In this paper, suppression of flow-induced motions of two cylinders in tandem using surface roughness is studied experimentally by varying flow velocity and cylinder center-to-center spacing. The two identical cylinders are rigid, suspended by springs, and allowed to move transversely to the flow direction and their own axis. Surface roughness is applied in the form of four roughness strips helically placed around the cylinder. Results are compared to smooth cylinders also tested in this work. Amplitude ratio A/D, frequency ratio f_osc/f_n,water, and range of synchronization are measured. Regardless of the center-to-center cylinder distance, the amplitude response of the upstream smooth-cylinder is similar to that of the isolated smooth-cylinder. The wake from the upstream cylinder with roughness is narrower and longer and has significant influence on the amplitude of the downstream cylinder. The latter is reduced in the initial and upper branches while its range of VIV-synchronization is extended. In addition the amplitude of the upstream rough cylinder and its range of synchronization increase with respect to the isolated rough cylinder.