Sponsor
The National Science Foundation supports this work through Grant Nos. CBET-2035789 (JAF) and CBET-2037582 (RBC), with Ron Joslin serving as program manager. Department of Defense Distribution Statement A: Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.
Published In
Experiments in Fluids
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-2026
Subjects
Aeroacoustics, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Engineering Acoustics, Engineering -- Fluid Dynamics, Fluid Mechanics, Fluid and Aerodynamics, Vortex-Induced Vibrations in Fluid Dynamics
Abstract
Biologically inspired undulated cylinder geometries significantly influence wake structure and vortex-induced vibrations in turbulent flows, yet the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. It is further unknown how these influences extend to multi-cylinder arrays, where interacting wakes accumulate and mix. This study examines the wake characteristics of an undulated cylinder and a smooth elliptic cylinder in single- and multi-cylinder array configurations, using particle image velocimetry and proper orthogonal decomposition (POD). Relative to the smooth elliptic cylinder, the undulated geometry induces pronounced spanwise-axial variability, characterized by enhanced near-wake mean momentum and weak far-wake signatures, consistent with reduced turbulent kinetic energy. While mean momentum signatures are more comparable across array configurations, POD modal energy reveals a less coherent, more homogeneous distribution for the array of undulated cylinders, indicating increased three-dimensionality and flow complexity. Despite this complexity, a low-order description of the Reynolds shear stress is achieved to within 15% RMS reconstruction error using only 5% of the total POD modes, highlighting distinctions not apparent from mean-flow quantities alone. These characteristics offer broad potential for low-order modeling, flow control, and sensing applications.
Rights
This work was authored as part of the Contributor's official duties as an Employee of the United States Government and is therefore a work of the United States Government. In accordance with 17 U.S.C. 105, no copyright protection is available for such works under U.S. Law.
Locate the Document
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-026-04276-1
DOI
10.1007/s00348-026-04276-1
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/45107
Citation Details
Drucker-Boisvert, T., Ferčák, O., Auzoux, J. et al. Spatial structure and energy content of wakes behind single and arrayed undulated cylinders. Exp Fluids 67, 132 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-026-04276-1