Numerical simulation of flow around circular cylinders at high Reynolds numbers

A numerical method to determine drag and lift forces on circular cylinders by modeling the unsteady flow field characterized by vortex shedding is presented. The computations are compared with experimental data obtained from a verification test program. Comparison for a steady incoming flow at Reynolds number 32,000 shows that the method provides a good representation of the flow field, predicts the frequency of vortex shedding accurately, and yields reasonable predictions of the drag and lift force time histories. The method is also applicable for flow at high Reynolds numbers as long as the flow remains two-dimensional. The drag and lift force time histories show large variations throughout a test or between experiments. The magnitude of the drag force coefficient appears to be related to the envelope of the lift force. Relatively high drag forces are coupled with series of large lift force amplitudes.