Vortex shedding dynamics in the laminar wake of cones

Abstract

Experiments on two cones of different taper ratios have been performed in the periodic Reynolds number range between 40 and 180. The visualizations of the plan view of the wake with hydrogen bubbles allow to determine local instantaneous frequencies, wavelengths and shedding angles from digital movie. The shedding frequency adjusts in a stepwise manner to the continuous variation of the cone diameter. Our results lead to revisit the original work of Gaster