Investigation of flow characteristics around a stationary circular cylinder with an undulatory plate

The flow characteristics around a stationary circular cylinder with an undulatory plate have been numerically investigated in this work. This is the extension of our previous study on flows over a cylinder with a rigid flapping plate (Wu and Shu, 2011). In this study, the effect of plate flexibility on the flow characteristics is extensively examined by varying the frequency and amplitude of motion and the length of the plate. The laminar flow at Reynolds number of Re = 100 is considered. Based on the numerical results obtained, some interesting flow patterns and drag reduction are observed. Meanwhile, the physical mechanisms elucidating good performance of the undulatory plate are also provided. As compared with the rigid plate, the flexible plate performs better in the flow control of bluff body. (C) 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.