Feedback control of vortex shedding from a circular cylinder by rotational oscillations

The present paper describes a new active method for controlling vortex shedding from a circular cylinder in a uniform flow at medium Reynolds numbers. It uses rotary cylinder oscillations controlled by the feedback signal of a reference velocity in the cylinder wake. The effectiveness of this feedback control is evaluated by measuring the response of mean and fluctuating velocities in the cylinder wake, the spanwise correlation, the power spectrum, and the fluid forces acting on the cylinder. It is found that the velocity fluctuations and the fluid forces are both reduced by the feedback control with optimum values of the phase lag and feedback gain. The simultaneous flow visualization synchronized with the cylinder oscillation indicates the attenuation as well as the mechanisms of vortex shedding under the feedback control, which is due to the dynamic effect of cylinder oscillation on the vortex formation. (C) 2001 Academic Press.