OPENFOAM GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS

3. Bidimensional laminar flow

around a circular cylinder
3.1 Description of the case
The second tutorial is based on the analysis of external flow. More specifically, the
study encompasses the modelling of a bidimensional laminar flow around a circular
cylinder. The analytical solution of the same case modeled with potential flow
is known and easy to interpret; however the physical mechanism which rules real
flow around a circular cylinder as well as its mathematical treatment are highly
complex. Some examples are the boundary layer detachment and oscillatory effects
that without a CFD study would be very difficult to determine either analytically
or experimentally. The case includes simulations made with two different Reynolds
numbers to observe the behaviour of the flow in such different regimes.

3.2 Hypotheses
• Incompressible flow

• Laminar flow

• Newtonian flow
∂
• Bidimensional flow ( ∂z = 0)

• Negligible gravitatory effects

3.3 Physics of the problem

The problem encompasses a circular cylinder with a diameter of D = 0.1 m sub-
merged in a stream with an undisturbed speed of V = 5 m/s and ambient pressure.
The problem statement is shown at Figure 3.1.

Jordi Casacuberta Puig 61

3. Bidimensional laminar flow around a circular
cylinder

Figure 3.1: Flow around a circular cylinder

Unlike Chapter 2, in the current chapter there is no easy analytical solution to

describe the behaviour of the fluid (except for potential flow, which is an ideal
case). However, it is necessary to keep in mind the main equations and dimensionless
numbers involved in the problem:
The continuity equation,
∇·U=0 (3.1)

The momentum equation,

∂U 1 µ
+ U · ∇U = − ∇p + ∇2 U (3.2)
∂t ρ ρ

The Reynolds number,

D|U|
Re = (3.3)
ν
The Strouhal number (which describes oscillating flow mechanisms),

wD
St = (3.4)
2π|U|

The drag coefficient (dimensionless force parallel to the flow),

FD
CD = (3.5)
1
ρ|U|2 S
2

The behaviour of the flow around a circular cylinder is very complex and highly de-

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OPENFOAM GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS

pendent on the Reynolds number. The boundary layer in laminar regimes detaches
at an angle of θ = 82o as a consequence of the existence of an adverse pressure
gradient. Furthermore, due to the symmetry of the cylinder, a curious phenomenon
appears named von Kármán street, consisting of alternate vortices emitted by the
cylinder. The vortices are detached periodically and their frequence is directly re-
lated to the Strouhal number.
For external flow, the transition from laminar regime to turbulent regime occurs at
Re ≈ 3 × 105 . However, the very complex structure of vortex shedding deserves
special mention; the relation between the behaviour of the flow and the Reynolds
number is shown at Figure 3.2:

Figure 3.2: Flow structure depending on the Reynolds number, extracted from [2]

As the simulation is going to be run with laminar flow, the Reynolds number is not
going to be set higher than 195. This will allow to observe the von Kármán street
and its transition while guaranteeing that the whole fluid domain remains laminar.
Additionally, another simulation with Re = 30 will be run to check if the results of
the CFD simulation adapt to the scheme shown at Figure 3.2.
The drag coefficient is a function of the Reynolds number and decreases when the
regime turns to turbulent. It can be seen at Figure 3.3.

Jordi Casacuberta Puig 63

3. Bidimensional laminar flow around a circular
cylinder

Figure 3.3: Drag coefficient as a function of the Reynolds number in an infinite

circular cylinder

3.4 Pre-processing with Re = 195

The following codes contain the information to simulate the cylinder with Re = 195
using icoFoam. The case directory is named cylinder195 and will be located within
FoamCases. Its structure of directories and subdirectories is very similar to the one
used in Chapter 2.

3.4.1 Mesh generation

The mesh for the study of the cylinder is not going to be uniform. Some areas of
the domain need to contain a higher cell density (mainly the walls of the cylinder
and its prolongation). Consequently, it is necessary to divide the domain in different
blocks as Figure 3.4 shows.

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 OPENFOAM GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS

Figure 3.4: Half of the scheme used for the creation of the mesh, extracted from [1]

In Figure 3.4 there is only half of the mesh, which is contained between z = −0.05
m and z = 0.05 m. The numbers indicate the numbering used for the vertices and
the blocks in the blockMeshDict file.
In the bidimensional cylinder case, constant/blockMeshDict must contain the follow-
ing instructions:
1 /∗−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−∗− C++ −∗−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−∗\
2 | ========= | |
3 | \\ / F ield | OpenFOAM: The Open S o u r c e CFD Toolbox |
4 | \\ / O peration | Version : 2.2.1 |
5 | \\ / A nd | Web : www.OpenFOAM. o r g |
6 | \\/ M anipulation | |
7 \∗−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−∗/
8 FoamFile
9 {
10 version 2.0;
11 format ascii ;
12 class dictionary ;
13 object bl ock M e sh Dic t ;
14 }
15 // ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ //
16
17 convertToMeters 0 . 1 ;
18
19 vertices
20 (
21 ( 0 . 5 0 −0.5)
22 ( 1 0 −0.5)
23 ( 1 0 0 −0.5)
24 ( 1 0 0 . 7 0 7 1 0 7 −0.5)
25 ( 0 . 7 0 7 1 0 7 0 . 7 0 7 1 0 7 −0.5)
26 ( 0 . 3 5 3 5 5 3 0 . 3 5 3 5 5 3 −0.5)
27 ( 1 0 2 −0.5)
28 ( 0 . 7 0 7 1 0 7 2 −0.5)
29 ( 0 2 −0.5)

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 3. Bidimensional laminar flow around a circular
cylinder

30 ( 0 1 −0.5)
31 ( 0 0 . 5 −0.5)
32
33 ( −0.5 0 −0.5)
34 (−1 0 −0.5)
35 (−2 0 −0.5)
36 (−2 0 . 7 0 7 1 0 7 −0.5)
37 ( −0.707107 0 . 7 0 7 1 0 7 −0.5)
38 ( −0.353553 0 . 3 5 3 5 5 3 −0.5)
39 (−2 2 −0.5)
40 ( −0.707107 2 −0.5)
41
42 (0.5 0 0.5)
43 (1 0 0 . 5 )
44 (10 0 0 . 5 )
45 (10 0.707107 0 . 5 )
46 (0.707107 0.707107 0.5)
47 (0.353553 0.353553 0.5)
48 (10 2 0 . 5 )
49 (0.707107 2 0.5)
50 (0 2 0 . 5 )
51 (0 1 0 . 5 )
52 (0 0.5 0 . 5 )
53
54 ( −0.5 0 0 . 5 )
55 (−1 0 0 . 5 )
56 (−2 0 0 . 5 )
57 (−2 0 . 7 0 7 1 0 7 0 . 5 )
58 ( −0.707107 0 . 7 0 7 1 0 7 0 . 5 )
59 ( −0.353553 0 . 3 5 3 5 5 3 0 . 5 )
60 (−2 2 0 . 5 )
61 ( −0.707107 2 0 . 5 )
62
63
64 ( 1 0 −0.707107 −0.5)
65 ( 0 . 7 0 7 1 0 7 −0.707107 −0.5)
66 ( 0 . 3 5 3 5 5 3 −0.353553 −0.5)
67 ( 1 0 −2 −0.5)
68 ( 0 . 7 0 7 1 0 7 −2 −0.5)
69 ( 0 −2 −0.5)
70 ( 0 −1 −0.5)
71 ( 0 −0.5 −0.5)
72
73 (−2 −0.707107 −0.5)
74 ( −0.707107 −0.707107 −0.5)
75 ( −0.353553 −0.353553 −0.5)
76 (−2 −2 −0.5)
77 ( −0.707107 −2 −0.5)
78
79 ( 1 0 −0.707107 0 . 5 )
80 ( 0 . 7 0 7 1 0 7 −0.707107 0 . 5 )
81 ( 0 . 3 5 3 5 5 3 −0.353553 0 . 5 )
82 ( 1 0 −2 0 . 5 )
83 ( 0 . 7 0 7 1 0 7 −2 0 . 5 )
84 ( 0 −2 0 . 5 )
85 ( 0 −1 0 . 5 )
86 ( 0 −0.5 0 . 5 )

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 OPENFOAM GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS

87
88 (−2 −0.707107 0 . 5 )
89 ( −0.707107 −0.707107 0 . 5 )
90 ( −0.353553 −0.353553 0 . 5 )
91 (−2 −2 0 . 5 )
92 ( −0.707107 −2 0 . 5 )
93 );
94
95 blocks
96 (
97 hex ( 5 4 9 10 24 23 28 2 9 ) ( 8 0 20 1 ) s i m p l e G r a d i n g ( 1 0 1 1 )
98 hex ( 0 1 4 5 19 20 23 2 4 ) ( 8 0 20 1 ) s i m p l e G r a d i n g ( 1 0 1 1 )
99 hex ( 1 2 3 4 20 21 22 2 3 ) ( 2 0 0 20 1 ) s i m p l e G r a d i n g ( 1 1 1 )
100 hex ( 4 3 6 7 23 22 25 2 6 ) ( 2 0 0 40 1 ) s i m p l e G r a d i n g ( 1 1 1 )
101 hex ( 9 4 7 8 28 23 26 2 7 ) ( 2 0 40 1 ) s i m p l e G r a d i n g ( 1 1 1 )
102 hex ( 1 6 10 9 15 35 29 28 3 4 ) ( 2 0 80 1 ) s i m p l e G r a d i n g ( 1 10 1 )
103 hex ( 1 1 16 15 12 30 35 34 3 1 ) ( 2 0 80 1 ) s i m p l e G r a d i n g ( 1 10 1 )
104 hex ( 1 2 15 14 13 31 34 33 3 2 ) ( 2 0 20 1 ) s i m p l e G r a d i n g ( 1 1 1 )
105 hex ( 1 5 18 17 14 34 37 36 3 3 ) ( 4 0 20 1 ) s i m p l e G r a d i n g ( 1 1 1 )
106 hex ( 9 8 18 15 28 27 37 3 4 ) ( 4 0 20 1 ) s i m p l e G r a d i n g ( 1 1 1 )
107
108
109 hex ( 4 0 45 44 39 53 58 57 5 2 ) ( 2 0 80 1 ) s i m p l e G r a d i n g ( 1 10 1 )
110 hex ( 0 40 39 1 19 53 52 2 0 ) ( 2 0 80 1 ) s i m p l e G r a d i n g ( 1 10 1 )
111 hex ( 1 39 38 2 20 52 51 2 1 ) ( 2 0 200 1 ) s i m p l e G r a d i n g ( 1 1 1 )
112 hex ( 3 9 42 41 38 52 55 54 5 1 ) ( 4 0 200 1 ) s i m p l e G r a d i n g ( 1 1 1 )
113 hex ( 4 4 43 42 39 57 56 55 5 2 ) ( 4 0 20 1 ) s i m p l e G r a d i n g ( 1 1 1 )
114 hex ( 4 8 47 44 45 61 60 57 5 8 ) ( 8 0 20 1 ) s i m p l e G r a d i n g ( 1 0 1 1 )
115 hex ( 1 1 12 47 48 30 31 60 6 1 ) ( 8 0 20 1 ) s i m p l e G r a d i n g ( 1 0 1 1 )
116 hex ( 1 2 13 46 47 31 32 59 6 0 ) ( 2 0 20 1 ) s i m p l e G r a d i n g ( 1 1 1 )
117 hex ( 4 7 46 49 50 60 59 62 6 3 ) ( 2 0 40 1 ) s i m p l e G r a d i n g ( 1 1 1 )
118 hex ( 4 4 47 50 43 57 60 63 5 6 ) ( 2 0 40 1 ) s i m p l e G r a d i n g ( 1 1 1 )
119 );
120
121 edges
122 (
123 arc 0 5 ( 0 . 4 6 9 8 4 6 0 . 1 7 1 0 1 −0.5)
124 arc 5 10 ( 0 . 1 7 1 0 1 0 . 4 6 9 8 4 6 −0.5)
125 arc 1 4 ( 0 . 9 3 9 6 9 3 0 . 3 4 2 0 2 −0.5)
126 arc 4 9 ( 0 . 3 4 2 0 2 0 . 9 3 9 6 9 3 −0.5)
127 arc 19 24 ( 0 . 4 6 9 8 4 6 0 . 1 7 1 0 1 0 . 5 )
128 arc 24 29 ( 0 . 1 7 1 0 1 0 . 4 6 9 8 4 6 0 . 5 )
129 arc 20 23 ( 0 . 9 3 9 6 9 3 0 . 3 4 2 0 2 0 . 5 )
130 arc 23 28 ( 0 . 3 4 2 0 2 0 . 9 3 9 6 9 3 0 . 5 )
131 arc 11 16 ( −0.469846 0 . 1 7 1 0 1 −0.5)
132 arc 16 10 ( −0.17101 0 . 4 6 9 8 4 6 −0.5)
133 arc 12 15 ( −0.939693 0 . 3 4 2 0 2 −0.5)
134 arc 15 9 ( −0.34202 0 . 9 3 9 6 9 3 −0.5)
135 arc 30 35 ( −0.469846 0 . 1 7 1 0 1 0 . 5 )
136 arc 35 29 ( −0.17101 0 . 4 6 9 8 4 6 0 . 5 )
137 arc 31 34 ( −0.939693 0 . 3 4 2 0 2 0 . 5 )
138 arc 34 28 ( −0.34202 0 . 9 3 9 6 9 3 0 . 5 )
139
140
141 a r c 0 40 ( 0 . 4 6 9 8 4 6 −0.17101 −0.5)
142 a r c 40 45 ( 0 . 1 7 1 0 1 −0.469846 −0.5)
143 a r c 1 39 ( 0 . 9 3 9 6 9 3 −0.34202 −0.5)

Jordi Casacuberta Puig 67

 3. Bidimensional laminar flow around a circular
cylinder

144 arc 39 44 ( 0 . 3 4 2 0 2 −0.939693 −0.5)

145 arc 19 53 ( 0 . 4 6 9 8 4 6 −0.17101 0 . 5 )
146 arc 53 58 ( 0 . 1 7 1 0 1 −0.469846 0 . 5 )
147 arc 20 52 ( 0 . 9 3 9 6 9 3 −0.34202 0 . 5 )
148 arc 52 57 ( 0 . 3 4 2 0 2 −0.939693 0 . 5 )
149 arc 11 48 ( −0.469846 −0.17101 −0.5)
150 arc 48 45 ( −0.17101 −0.469846 −0.5)
151 arc 12 47 ( −0.939693 −0.34202 −0.5)
152 arc 47 44 ( −0.34202 −0.939693 −0.5)
153 arc 30 61 ( −0.469846 −0.17101 0 . 5 )
154 arc 61 58 ( −0.17101 −0.469846 0 . 5 )
155 arc 31 60 ( −0.939693 −0.34202 0 . 5 )
156 arc 60 57 ( −0.34202 −0.939693 0 . 5 )
157 );
158
159 boundary
160 (
161
162 top
163 {
164 t y p e symmetryPlane ;
165 faces
166 (
167 ( 7 8 27 2 6 )
168 ( 6 7 26 2 5 )
169 ( 8 18 37 2 7 )
170 ( 1 8 17 36 3 7 )
171 );
172 }
173
174 bottom
175 {
176 t y p e symmetryPlane ;
177 faces
178 (
179 ( 4 9 50 63 6 2 )
180 ( 5 0 43 56 6 3 )
181 ( 4 3 42 55 5 6 )
182 ( 4 2 41 54 5 5 )
183 );
184 }
185
186 inlet
187 {
188 t y p e patch ;
189 faces
190 (
191 ( 1 4 13 32 3 3 )
192 ( 1 7 14 33 3 6 )
193
194 ( 4 6 13 32 5 9 )
195 ( 4 6 49 62 5 9 )
196 );
197 }
198
199 outlet
200 {

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 OPENFOAM GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS

201 t y p e patch ;
202 faces
203 (
204 ( 2 3 22 2 1 )
205 ( 3 6 25 2 2 )
206
207 ( 3 8 51 21 2 )
208 ( 4 1 54 51 3 8 )
209 );
210 }
211
212 cylinder
213 {
214 type wall ;
215 faces
216 (
217 ( 1 0 5 24 2 9 )
218 ( 5 0 19 2 4 )
219 ( 1 6 10 29 3 5 )
220 ( 1 1 16 35 3 0 )
221
222 ( 4 8 11 30 6 1 )
223 ( 4 5 48 61 5 8 )
224 ( 4 0 45 58 5 3 )
225 ( 0 40 53 1 9 )
226 );
227 }
228
229 frontAndBack
230 {
231 t y p e empty ;
232 faces
233 (
234 ( 5 10 9 4 )
235 ( 2 4 23 28 2 9 )
236 (0 5 4 1)
237 ( 1 9 20 23 2 4 )
238 (1 4 3 2)
239 ( 2 0 21 22 2 3 )
240 (4 7 6 3)
241 ( 2 3 22 25 2 6 )
242 (4 9 8 7)
243 ( 2 8 23 26 2 7 )
244 ( 1 6 15 9 1 0 )
245 ( 3 5 29 28 3 4 )
246 ( 1 2 15 16 1 1 )
247 ( 3 1 30 35 3 4 )
248 ( 1 3 14 15 1 2 )
249 ( 3 2 31 34 3 3 )
250 ( 1 4 17 18 1 5 )
251 ( 3 3 34 37 3 6 )
252 ( 1 5 18 8 9 )
253 ( 3 4 28 27 3 7 )
254
255 ( 4 5 40 39 4 4 )
256 ( 5 8 57 52 5 3 )
257 (40 0 1 39)

Jordi Casacuberta Puig 69

 3. Bidimensional laminar flow around a circular
cylinder

258 (53 52 20 1 9 )
259 (39 1 2 38)
260 (52 51 21 2 0 )
261 (39 38 41 4 2 )
262 (52 55 54 5 1 )
263 (44 39 42 4 3 )
264 (57 56 55 5 2 )
265 (47 48 45 4 4 )
266 (60 57 58 6 1 )
267 (12 11 48 4 7 )
268 (31 60 61 3 0 )
269 (13 12 47 4 6 )
270 (32 59 60 3 1 )
271 (49 46 47 5 0 )
272 (62 63 60 5 9 )
273 (50 47 44 4 3 )
274 (63 56 57 6 0 )
275 );
276 }
277 );
278
279 mergePatchPairs
280 (
281 );
282
283 // ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ //

It can be seen that as the cylinder has curved edges, it is necessary to use the
arc instruction to obtain the circular geometry. This instruction must be followed
by the labels of the connected vertices and an interpolation point contained in the
trajectory of the arc.
In the current blockMeshDict there are four different types of patches: wall, empty ,
symmetryPlane and patch. All were used in the plane-parallel plates case except
symmetryPlane, which is used in the top and bottom patches of the current case to
indicate that there are no physical walls in the top and bottom borders; the flow
must behave as if the domain would extend infinitely in the y-direction.
After running blockMesh and checking the results with checkMesh it is possible to
observe the mesh with ParaView.
Caution:

It is necessary to have the majority of the required files for the simula-
tion within the case directory to create the mesh. Wait until the three
main directories (0 , constant and system) and their files are ready to
run blockMesh. Otherwise, it is also possible to use a solved case as a
dummy file to run blockMesh

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OPENFOAM GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS

The mesh of cylinder195 is shown at Figures 3.5, 3.6 and 3.7:

Figure 3.5: Mesh of the bidimensional cylinder case

Figure 3.6: Detail of the mesh of the bidimensional cylinder case

Jordi Casacuberta Puig 71

 3. Bidimensional laminar flow around a circular
cylinder

Figure 3.7: Detail of the mesh gradation on the walls of the bidimensional cylinder
case

Advice:

On the walls and downstream the cylinder it is necessary to have a high

refined mesh. It will allow the user to compute the drag coefficient and
to observe the von Kármán street both with high accuracy. However, if
the simulation is too much time-consuming or it is done with a Reynolds
number such that no vortices are generated, it is recommended to reduce
the refinement of the mesh

3.4.2 Boundary and initial conditions

The files (located in 0 ) containing the information related to the pressure and the
velocity fields are the following:
1 /∗−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−∗− C++ −∗−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−∗\
2 | ========= | |
3 | \\ / F ield | OpenFOAM: The Open S o u r c e CFD Toolbox |
4 | \\ / O peration | Version : 2.2.1 |
5 | \\ / A nd | Web : www.OpenFOAM. o r g |
6 | \\/ M anipulation | |
7 \∗−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−∗/
8 FoamFile
9 {
10 version 2.0;
11 format ascii ;
12 class volScalarField ;

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 OPENFOAM GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS

13 object p;
14 }
15 // ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ //
16
17 dimensions [ 0 2 −2 0 0 0 0 ] ;
18
19 internalField uniform 0 ;
20
21 boundaryField
22 {
23 top
24 {
25 type symmetryPlane ;
26 }
27
28 bottom
29 {
30 type symmetryPlane ;
31 }
32
33 inlet
34 {
35 type freestreamPressure ;
36 }
37
38 outlet
39 {
40 type freestreamPressure ;
41 }
42
43 frontAndBack
44 {
45 type empty ;
46 }
47
48 cylinder
49 {
50 type zeroGradient ;
51 }
52 }
53
54 // ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ //

1 /∗−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−∗− C++ −∗−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−∗\

2 | ========= | |
3 | \\ / F ield | OpenFOAM: The Open S o u r c e CFD Toolbox |
4 | \\ / O peration | Version : 2.2.1 |
5 | \\ / A nd | Web : www.OpenFOAM. o r g |
6 | \\/ M anipulation | |
7 \∗−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−∗/
8 FoamFile
9 {
10 version 2.0;
11 format ascii ;
12 class volVectorField ;
13 object U;

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 3. Bidimensional laminar flow around a circular
cylinder

14 }
15 // ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ //
16
17 dimensions [ 0 1 −1 0 0 0 0 ] ;
18
19 internalField uniform (5 0 0) ;
20
21 boundaryField
22 {
23 top
24 {
25 type symmetryPlane ;
26 }
27
28 bottom
29 {
30 type symmetryPlane ;
31 }
32
33 inlet
34 {
35 type freestream ;
36 freestreamValue uniform (5 0 0) ;
37 }
38
39 outlet
40 {
41 type freestream ;
42 freestreamValue uniform (5 0 0) ;
43 }
44
45 cylinder
46 {
47 type fixedValue ;
48 value uniform (0 0 0) ;
49 }
50
51 frontAndBack
52 {
53 type empty ;
54 }
55 }
56
57 // ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ //

The freestreamPressure condition is acting as zeroGradient but with a more accurate

physical behaviour. freestream acts as fixedValue when the flow is ingoing, and as
zeroGradient when it is outgoing. This kind of boundary conditions are widely used
for external flow simulations.

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 OPENFOAM GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS

3.4.3 Physical properties

Within constant one finds the information related to the kinematic viscosity and the
RASProperties file to compute the wall shear stress or other utilities requesting the
RAS dictionary.
1 /∗−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−∗− C++ −∗−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−∗\
2 | ========= | |
3 | \\ / F ield | OpenFOAM: The Open S o u r c e CFD Toolbox |
4 | \\ / O peration | Version : 2.2.1 |
5 | \\ / A nd | Web : www.OpenFOAM. o r g |
6 | \\/ M anipulation | |
7 \∗−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−∗/
8 FoamFile
9 {
10 version 2.0;
11 format ascii ;
12 class dictionary ;
13 location ” constant ” ;
14 object transportProperties ;
15 }
16 // ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ //
17
18 transportModel Newtonian ;
19
20 nu nu [ 0 2 −1 0 0 0 0 ] 2 . 5 6 4 1 0 3 e −03;
21
22 // ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ //

1 /∗−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−∗− C++ −∗−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−∗\

2 | ========= | |
3 | \\ / F ield | OpenFOAM: The Open S o u r c e CFD Toolbox |
4 | \\ / O peration | Version : 2.2.1 |
5 | \\ / A nd | Web : www.OpenFOAM. o r g |
6 | \\/ M anipulation | |
7 \∗−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−∗/
8 FoamFile
9 {
10 version 2.0;
11 format ascii ;
12 class dictionary ;
13 location ” constant ” ;
14 object RASProperties ;
15 }
16 // ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ //
17
18 RASModel laminar ;
19
20 turbulence off ;
21
22 printCoeffs off ;
23
24 // ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ //

Jordi Casacuberta Puig 75

 3. Bidimensional laminar flow around a circular
cylinder

3.4.4 Control

1 /∗−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−∗− C++ −∗−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−∗\

2 | ========= | |
3 | \\ / F ield | OpenFOAM: The Open S o u r c e CFD Toolbox |
4 | \\ / O peration | Version : 2.2.1 |
5 | \\ / A nd | Web : www.OpenFOAM. o r g |
6 | \\/ M anipulation | |
7 \∗−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−∗/
8 FoamFile
9 {
10 version 2.0;
11 format ascii ;
12 class dictionary ;
13 location ” system ” ;
14 object controlDict ;
15 }
16 // ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ //
17
18 application icoFoam ;
19
20 startFrom startTime ;
21
22 startTime 0;
23
24 stopAt endTime ;
25
26 endTime 1.75;
27
28 deltaT 0.00001;
29
30 writeControl timeStep ;
31
32 writeInterval 1000;
33
34 pu r geWr i te 0;
35
36 wr iteFo rmat ascii ;
37
38 writePrecision 6;
39
40 writeCompression off ;
41
42 timeFormat general ;
43
44 timePrecision 6;
45
46 runTimeModifiable true ;
47
48 // ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ //

Advice:

Jordi Casacuberta Puig 76

 OPENFOAM GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS

The case reaches steady before t = 1.75 s. Despite it, endTime has been
set to 1.75 to widely appreciate the von Kármán street and its periodical
distribution. As the mesh is very refined and the solver is transitory, the
simulation may be very slow

3.4.5 Discretization and linear-solver settings

1 /∗−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−∗− C++ −∗−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−∗\

2 | ========= | |
3 | \\ / F ield | OpenFOAM: The Open S o u r c e CFD Toolbox |
4 | \\ / O peration | Version : 2.2.1 |
5 | \\ / A nd | Web : www.OpenFOAM. o r g |
6 | \\/ M anipulation | |
7 \∗−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−∗/
8 FoamFile
9 {
10 version 2.0;
11 format ascii ;
12 class dictionary ;
13 location ” system ” ;
14 object fvSchemes ;
15 }
16 // ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ //
17
18 ddtSchemes
19 {
20 default Euler ;
21 }
22
23 gradSchemes
24 {
25 default Gauss l i n e a r ;
26 grad ( p ) Gauss l i n e a r ;
27 }
28
29 divSchemes
30 {
31 default none ;
32 d i v ( phi ,U) Gauss l i n e a r ;
33 }
34
35 laplacianSchemes
36 {
37 default none ;
38 l a p l a c i a n ( nu ,U) Gauss l i n e a r o r t h o g o n a l ;
39 l a p l a c i a n ( ( 1 | A(U) ) , p ) Gauss l i n e a r o r t h o g o n a l ;
40 }
41
42 interpolationSchemes
43 {
44 default linear ;
45 i n t e r p o l a t e (HbyA) l i n e a r ;
46 }
47

Jordi Casacuberta Puig 77

 3. Bidimensional laminar flow around a circular
cylinder

48 snGradSchemes
49 {
50 default orthogonal ;
51 }
52
53 fluxRequired
54 {
55 default no ;
56 p ;
57 }
58
59 // ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ //

1 /∗−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−∗− C++ −∗−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−∗\

2 | ========= | |
3 | \\ / F ield | OpenFOAM: The Open S o u r c e CFD Toolbox |
4 | \\ / O peration | Version : 2.2.1 |
5 | \\ / A nd | Web : www.OpenFOAM. o r g |
6 | \\/ M anipulation | |
7 \∗−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−∗/
8 FoamFile
9 {
10 version 2.0;
11 format ascii ;
12 class dictionary ;
13 location ” constant ” ;
14 object transportProperties ;
15 }
16 // ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ //
17
18 solvers
19 {
20 p
21 {
22 solver PCG;
23 preconditioner DIC ;
24 tolerance 1 e −06;
25 relTol 0;
26 }
27
28 U
29 {
30 solver PBiCG ;
31 preconditioner DILU ;
32 tolerance 1 e −05;
33 relTol 0;
34 }
35 }
36
37 PISO
38 {
39 nCorrectors 2;
40 nNonOrthogonalCorrectors 3 ;
41 pRefCell 0;
42 pRefValue 0;
43 }

Jordi Casacuberta Puig 78

 OPENFOAM GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS

44
45 // ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗ //

Advice:
As it can be seen, the instruction nNonOrthogonalCorrectors has been
set to 3 instead of 0 (as it was in the plane-parallel plates case). It is so
because when checking the mesh with checkMesh, it is possible to observe
that there are mesh non-orthogonalities. Although globally the mesh is
OK to be run, it helps in obtaining more physically accurate results

At the end of the pre-processing, the structure of directories and subdirectories

within cylinder195 should be as follows:
 

  p



 0

  U







 �


 polyMesh


 blockMeshDict


constant
 transportProperties
cylinder195 


  RASProperties





 



 



  controlDict




 system fvSchemes

 


 
 fvSolutions

3.5 Post-processing

3.5.1 Results of the simulation with Re = 195

The evolution over time of the velocity is as follows:

Jordi Casacuberta Puig 79

3. Bidimensional laminar flow around a circular
cylinder

Figure 3.8: Velocity field around the bidimensional cylinder at t = 0.01 s (m/s)

Figure 3.9: Velocity field around the bidimensional cylinder at t = 0.6 s (m/s)

Jordi Casacuberta Puig 80

OPENFOAM GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS

Figure 3.10: Velocity field around the bidimensional cylinder at t = 1.13 s (m/s)

The evolution over time of the pressure is as follows:

Figure 3.11: Pressure field around the bidimensional cylinder at t = 0.01 s (m2 /s2 )

Jordi Casacuberta Puig 81

3. Bidimensional laminar flow around a circular
cylinder

Figure 3.12: Pressure field around the bidimensional cylinder at t = 0.6 s (m2 /s2 )

Figure 3.13: Pressure field around the bidimensional cylinder at t = 1.13 s (m2 /s2 )

The evolution over time of the streamlines is as follows:

Jordi Casacuberta Puig 82

OPENFOAM GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS

Figure 3.14: Streamlines around the bidimensional cylinder at t = 0.01 s (m/s)

Figure 3.15: Streamlines around the bidimensional cylinder at t = 0.4 s (m/s)

Jordi Casacuberta Puig 83

3. Bidimensional laminar flow around a circular
cylinder

Figure 3.16: Streamlines around the bidimensional cylinder at t = 0.6 s (m/s)

Figure 3.17: Streamlines around the bidimensional cylinder at t = 1.13 s (m/s)

A detail of the vector field near the wall of the cylinder is shown to appreciate the
boundary layer detachment:

Jordi Casacuberta Puig 84

OPENFOAM GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS

Figure 3.18: Velocity vectors around the bidimensional cylinder at t = 1.13 s (m/s)

Advice:

A way to introduce the shape of the cylinder to provide more realism to

the results is shown in Section 3.6.5

3.5.2 Comparative between cases with Re = 30 and Re = 195

Additionally, the simulation has been done for another different Reynolds number
(Re = 30). The only instruction that needs to be changed in the OpenF OAM � R

code is for instance the kinetic viscosity in constant/transportProperties. According

to Equation 5.3, by maintaining the value of the inlet velocity while increasing the
kinetic viscosity it is possible to simulate the bidimensional cylinder in such regime
(case cylinder30):

Jordi Casacuberta Puig 85

3. Bidimensional laminar flow around a circular
cylinder

Re = 30 Re = 195

t = 0.01 s

t = 0.4 s

t=1s

As it was shown in Section 3.3, for Re = 30 the alternate vortices are not detached.

Jordi Casacuberta Puig 86

OPENFOAM GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS

3.6 Additional utilities

3.6.1 Vorticity

As with the computation of the flow rate and the wall shear stress, it is also possible
to compute the vorticity in the fluid field by using OpenF OAM � R
utilities. The
vorticity is a pseudovector field that describes the local spinning motion of a fluid
near some point, as would be seen by an observer located at that point and traveling
along with the fluid. Mathematically, the vorticity is the curl of the velocity field:

� =∇×U
w

The vorticity of a two-dimensional flow is always perpendicular to the plane of the

flow. It plays a relevant role in the current chapter due to the existence of vortices
generated by the cylinder forming the von Kármán street.
To execute it, type within the case directory

vorticity

Within the directories of each time step it has appeared a new file. Then, to ob-
serve the vorticity field, open ParaView and select it by clicking the vorticity box
contained within Volume Fields. For the cylinder195 case, the results are:

Figure 3.19: Vorticity field around the bidimensional cylinder at t = 1.75 s

Jordi Casacuberta Puig 87

 3. Bidimensional laminar flow around a circular
cylinder

It offers a clear-cut representation of the von Kármán vortices at Re = 195.

3.6.2 Computation of the aerodynamic coefficients

One of the main interests when studying external flows is the computation and
analysis of the aerodynamic forces that the fluid exerts to solid objects. The drag
is the force parallel to the flow velocity and the lift is the force perpendicular to the
flow velocity. The dimensionless drag force is presented in Equation 5.6 and for an
infinite circular cylinder its dependence on the Reynolds number is shown at Figure
3.3.
With OpenF OAM � R
, to compute the aerodynamic forces that a fluid exerts on
solid walls, add the following code after the last instruction of controlDict:

1 functions
2 (
3 forces
4 {
5 type f o r c e s ;
6 functionObjectLibs ( ” l i b f o r c e s . so ” ) ;
7 p a t c h e s ( c y l i n d e r ) ; // Patch where t h e f o r c e e x e r t e d by t h e f l u i d i s c a l c u l a t e d
8 pName p ;
9 UName U;
10 rhoName r h o I n f ;
11 r h o I n f 1 0 0 0 ; // R e f e r e n c e d e n s i t y o f t h e f l u i d
12 CofR ( 0 0 0 ) ; // O r i g i n f o r moment c a l c u l a t i o n s
13 o u t p u t C o n t r o l t i m e S t e p ; // Time c r i t e r i o n used t o p r i n t t h e r e s u l t s
14 o u t p u t I n t e r v a l 1 0 0 ; // How o f t e n ( a c c o r d i n g t o o u t p u t C o n t r o l ) t h e r e s u l t s a r e
printed
15 }
16 forceCoeffs
17 {
18 type f o r c e C o e f f s ;
19 functionObjectLibs ( ” l i b f o r c e s . so ” ) ;
20 p a t c h e s ( c y l i n d e r ) ; // Patch where t h e f o r c e e x e r t e d by t h e f l u i d i s c a l c u l a t e d
21 pName p ;
22 UName U;
23 rhoName r h o I n f ;
24 r h o I n f 1 0 0 0 ; // R e f e r e n c e d e n s i t y o f t h e f l u i d
25 CofR ( 0 0 0 ) ; // O r i g i n f o r moment c a l c u l a t i o n s
26 l i f t D i r (0 1 0) ;
27 dragDir (1 0 0) ;
28 pitchAxis (0 0 1) ;
29 magUInf 5 ; // F re e stream v e l o c i t y
30 l R e f 0 . 1 ; // R e f e r e n c e l e n g t h ( d i a m e t e r o f t h e c y l i n d e r )
31 A r e f 0 . 0 1 ; // R e f e r e n c e a r e a ( c r o s s s e c t i o n a l a r e a o f t h e c y l i n d e r )
32 o u t p u t C o n t r o l t i m e S t e p ; // Time c r i t e r i o n used t o p r i n t t h e r e s u l t s
33 o u t p u t I n t e r v a l 1 0 0 ; // How o f t e n ( a c c o r d i n g t o o u t p u t C o n t r o l ) t h e r e s u l t s a r e
printed
34 }

Jordi Casacuberta Puig 88

 OPENFOAM GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS

35 );

Advice:

For incompressible cases, the value of rhoInf is irrelevant for the compu-
tation of the dimensionless coefficients

Now, when the case is rerun, a new directory named postProcessing appears next
to 0 , constant and system. This directory contains two subdirectories with infor-
mation concerning the evolution of the aerodynamic forces and moments and their
dimensionless coefficients.

3.6.3 Plotting the results with Gnuplot

Once the aerodynamic forces have been computed with the instruction shown in
Section 3.6.2, it is useful to plot the results. Besides showing the behaviour of the
forces with time, it allows an understanding of the convergence (or divergence) of
the case. For the bidimensional cylinder case, it is possible to claim that if the drag
coefficient converges then the case converges too.
First of all the user has to have Gnuplot installed. It is a portable command-line
driven graphing utility for Linux, MS Windows, OSX and many other platforms.
It is widely used to plot data obtained with OpenF OAM � R
. First, access the file
containing the required data:

cd FoamCases/cylinder195/postProcessing/forceCoeffs/0

Secondly, execute Gnuplot by typing:

gnuplot

Finally plot the values of the drag coefficient (third column) in front of the time
(first column) by typing:

plot ’./forceCoeffs.dat’ u 1:3 w l

The plot is:

Jordi Casacuberta Puig 89

3. Bidimensional laminar flow around a circular
cylinder

Figure 3.20: Drag coefficient (ordinate axis) of the bidimensional cylinder at Re =

195 in front of time (abscissa axis)

It is also possible to plot the values of the lift coefficient (fourth column) in front of
the time (first column) by typing:

plot ’./forceCoeffs.dat’ u 1:4 w l

The plot is:

Figure 3.21: Lift coefficient (ordinate axis) of the bidimensional cylinder at Re = 195
in front of time (abscissa axis)

Jordi Casacuberta Puig 90