Separation Interference Method (SIM) to Reduce Aerodynamic Responses of Structures

The aerodynamic vibrations of bluff bodies are induced by separation flow from a leading edge of the bodies. Therefore, to suppress the separation from the leading edge is essential to reduction of the aerodynamic response amplitude. The authors developed one method and tried to make clear its suppression mechanism. The method is very simple. By using a plate that is placed to normal to the surface of the body at an optimum position, the separation flow from the leading edge is forced to touch the tip of the plate. The separation flow from the leading edge flows down without enrollment in the wake, then, the aerodynamic responses are reduced. The detail of the method and the reduction mechanism are described in the present paper, taking an instance of a square prism that vibrates within vortex-induced vibration region and galloping region. Both vibrations are suppressed by the method. The method was named by Y. KUBO, one of authors, as Separation Interference Method (SIM).