The dynamics of a rigid inverted flag

An 'inverted flag' - a flexible plate clamped at its trailing edge - undergoes large-amplitude flow-induced flapping when immersed in a uniform and steady flow. Here, we report direct numerical simulations of a related single degree-of-freedom mechanical system: a rigid plate attached at its trailing edge to a torsional spring. This system is termed a 'rigid inverted flag' and exhibits the dynamical states reported for the (flexible) inverted flag, with additional behaviour. This finding shows that the flapping dynamics of inverted flags is not reliant on their continuous flexibility, i.e. many degrees of freedom. The rigid inverted flag exhibits additional, novel states including a heteroclinic-type orbit that results in small-amplitude flapping, and a number of chaotic large-amplitude flapping regimes. We show that the various routes to chaos are driven by a series of periodic states, including at least two which are subharmonic. The instability and competition between these periodic states lead to chaos via type-I intermittency, mode competition and mode locking. The rigid inverted flag allows these periodic states and their subsequent interaction to be explained simply: they arise from an interaction between a preferred vortex shedding frequency and a single natural frequency of the structure. The dynamics of rigid inverted flags is yet to be studied experimentally, and this numerical study provides impetus for such future work.

Automated summary

The study presents a numerical simulation of a mechanical system called the "rigid inverted flag," which consists of a rigid plate attached to a torsional spring. The findings show that the flapping dynamics of inverted flags do not solely depend on their continuous flexibility, but can also be exhibited by rigid structures. The rigid inverted flag demonstrates additional states, including small-amplitude flapping and chaotic large-amplitude flapping regimes. The study reveals that the competition and instability between periodic states lead to chaos through various mechanisms. This research provides motivation for future experimental studies on the dynamics of rigid inverted flags.