Vortex shedding from slender cones at low Reynolds numbers

Abstract

Water-tunnel experiments on two cones of taper ratio 36:1 and 18:1 have shown that the frequency of vortex shedding is controlled by the local diameter and has a value which is slightly lower than that on a parallel cylinder of the same size. The shedding process is modulated by a low-frequency oscillation which has a frequency dependent only on U2/v and is independent of any physical dimension of the model. A mathematical analogue of the wake, which helps to explain these features of the flow, has been constructed. The pattern of vortices in the wake of a cone suggested by this model is in reasonable agreement with the photographic evidence.