The wake from a cylinder subjected to amplitude-modulated excitation

Abstract

Controlled, amplitude-modulated excitation of a cylinder at low Reynolds number (Re equals; 136) in the cross-stream direction generates several states of response of the near wake including: a locked-in wake structure, which is periodic at the modulation frequency; a period-doubled wake structure, which is periodic at a frequency half the modulation frequency; and a destabilized structure of the wake, which is periodic at the modulation frequency, but involves substantial phase modulations of the vortex formation relative to the cylinder displacement. The occurrence of each of these states depends upon the dimensionless modulation frequency, as well as the nominal frequency and amplitude of excitation. Transition through states of increasing disorder can be attained by either decreasing the modulation frequency or increasing the amplitude of excitation at a constant value of nominal frequency. These states of response in the near wake are crucial in determining whether the far wake is highly organized or incoherent. Both of these extremes are attainable by proper selection of the parameters of excitation.