Visualization study on suppression of vortex shedding from a cylinder

A narrow strip has been introduced as a control element to suppress vortex shedding from a cylinder. The strip is set parallel to the cylinder axis, and the key parameter of control in this study is the strip position, which is determined by the angle of attack of the strip and the distance between the strip and the cylinder axis. A circular cylinder and a square cylinder were tested respectively. Flow visualization and hot-wire measurement were performed in a low turbulence wind tunnel in the range of Reynolds number Re = 4.0 × 103 ~ 2.0 × 104. Test results show that, vortex shedding from both sides of the cylinder can be effectively suppressed if the strip is located in a certain zone in the wake. The effective zones in circular cylinder wakes at different Reynolds numbers have been found out, and the mechanism of the suppression has been discussed.