A quasi-static approach to the stability of the path of heavy bodies falling within a viscous fluid

We consider the gravity-driven motion of a heavy two-dimensional rigid body freely falling in a viscous fluid. We introduce a quasi-static linear model of the forces and torques induced by the possible changes in the body velocity, or by the occurrence of a nonzero incidence angle or a spanwise rotation of the body. The coefficients involved in this model are accurately computed over a full range of Reynolds number by numerically resolving the Navier-Stokes equations, considering three elementary situations where the motion of the body is prescribed. The falling body is found to exhibit three distinct eigenmodes which are always damped in the case of a thin plate with uniform mass loading or a circular cylinder, but may be amplified for other geometries, such as in the case of a square cylinder. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.