Complexity Reduction of Fluid-Structure Systems at Low Forcing Frequencies

This thesis addresses complexity reduction in periodic fluid-structure systems at low forcing frequencies. A novel quasi-steady time scaling framework is developed to relate the dynamics of a forced system to a corresponding unforced system. Particle Image Velocimetry and dye flow visualization are used to study the streamwise-oscillating cylinder's wake at a mean Reynolds number of 900. Forcing frequencies both one and two orders of magnitude below the stationary shedding frequency are considered. Forcing amplitudes are such that the instantaneous Reynolds number remains above the critical value at all times. It is shown that this forcing regime is synonymous with the development of both frequency and amplitude modulation in the wake. While frequency modulation is linked to vortex shedding, amplitude modulation arises due to symmetric reorganization of the wake at certain phases in the forcing cycle. Furthermore, Dynamic Mode Decomposition is used to extract underlying flow structures and quasi-steady time scaling is employed to relate dynamics to the corresponding unforced system. Specifically, forcing regimes where quasi-steady shedding can develop are identified and time is scaled to transform the system to resemble the stationary cylinder at the same mean Reynolds number. Experimental flowfields are also used to analyze the wake of a surface mounted hemisphere subject to a highly pulsatile freestream, characterized by a forcing amplitude equal to the mean. Although this flow sees regular shedding of hairpin vortices in the unforced case, pulsatile forcing leads to significant deviations. For a nominal mean Reynolds number of 1000, analysis of the wake shows that forcing at a frequency much smaller than that associated with hairpin shedding can lead to frequency modulated shedding. Consequently, time scaling is employed to reduce system complexity associated with hairpin shedding and to relate wake dynamics to the analogous unforced system.</p

From unsteady to quasi-steady dynamics in the streamwise-oscillating cylinder wake

The flow around a cylinder oscillating in the streamwise direction with a frequency, f_f, much lower than the shedding frequency, f_s, has been relatively less studied than the case when these frequencies have the same order of magnitude, or the transverse oscillation configuration. In this study, Particle Image Velocimetry and Koopman Mode Decomposition are used to investigate the streamwise-oscillating cylinder wake for forcing frequencies f_f/f_s ∼ 0.04−0.2 and mean Reynolds number, R_e₀ = 900. The amplitude of oscillation is such that the instantaneous Reynolds number remains above the critical value for vortex shedding at all times. Characterization of the wake reveals a range of phenomena associated with the interaction of the two frequencies, including modulation of both the amplitude and frequency of the wake structure by the forcing. Koopman analysis reveals a frequency spreading of Koopman modes. A scaling parameter and associated transformation are developed to relate the unsteady, or forced, dynamics of a system to that of a quasi-steady, or unforced, system. For the streamwise-oscillating cylinder, it is shown that this transformation leads to a Koopman Mode Decomposition similar to that of the unforced system