Strouhal–Reynolds number relationship for flow past a circular cylinder

Abstract

The Strouhal–Reynolds number ($St{-}Re$) relationship for flow past a circular cylinder in the low $Re$ range of $Re\leqslant 1000$ is investigated through two- (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) direct numerical simulations (DNS). An improved method is proposed for the determination of the separating velocity and the wake width to allow for a better estimation of the wake Strouhal number $St^{\ast }$. For $Re$ in the extended laminar regime calculated by 2D DNS, the $St^{\ast }$ values are found to be more uniform than the original $St$ for the 2D flow. It is also found that the $St^{\ast }$ values for the 2D and 3D flows agree well in the laminar regime of $Re$ up to approximately 270. In addition, uniform $St^{\ast }$ values are also obtained for different mode A and mode B flow structures triggered artificially by using different cylinder span lengths in DNS. It is demonstrated that the drop in $St$ (with respect to its 2D counterpart) with the development of different 3D wake structures is due to the decrease in the separating velocity and the increase in the wake width for a 3D flow, rather than the existence of a particular wake structure such as pure mode A or vortex dislocation. However, as the wake flow becomes increasingly turbulent with further increase in $Re$, the $St^{\ast }$ value for the 3D flow increases gradually and deviates from its 2D counterpart, since for turbulent 3D flows the vortex shedding frequency scales on a length smaller than the wake width.