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Flow Over Cylinder and Sphere

The document discusses the flow patterns over cylinders and spheres at varying Reynolds numbers (Re), detailing the transition from creeping flow at Re < 1 to turbulent flow at Re > 3 x 10^6. It highlights how flow characteristics change, including the formation of wakes, vortex shedding, and the impact of viscosity. Additionally, it mentions the Blasius equation and provides MATLAB code for its solution.

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nouranahmed951
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33 views5 pages

Flow Over Cylinder and Sphere

The document discusses the flow patterns over cylinders and spheres at varying Reynolds numbers (Re), detailing the transition from creeping flow at Re < 1 to turbulent flow at Re > 3 x 10^6. It highlights how flow characteristics change, including the formation of wakes, vortex shedding, and the impact of viscosity. Additionally, it mentions the Blasius equation and provides MATLAB code for its solution.

Uploaded by

nouranahmed951
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Flow Over Cylinder and Sphere

Re Range Flow Pattern Description


the flow behaves as if it were purely viscous with negligible inertia. Such
flow is known as creeping or Stokes flow. For such flows there are no
boundary layers and the effects of viscosity extend an infinite distance
from the body. The streamlines are completely symmetrical fore and aft
the streamline pattern is superficially similar to that for potential flow. For
1 Re < 1 creeping flow, however, the influence of the cylinder on the streamlines
extend to much greater distances than for potential flow. Skin-friction drag
is the only force generated by the fluid flow on the cylinder. Consequently,
the body with the lowest drag for a fixed volume is the sphere
the flow remains attached.
The flow separates from the cylinder surface to form a closed wake of
recirculating flow The wake grows progressively in length as Re is
increased from 5 up to about 41. The flow pattern is symmetrical about
the horizontal axis and is steady, i.e. it does not change with time. At
these comparatively low Reynolds numbers the effects of viscosity still
2 Re = 40 extend a considerable distance from the surface, in that the steady
recirculating wake flow becomes unstable to small disturbances. In this
case, though, the small disturbances develop as vortices rather than
waves. Also in this case, the small disturbances do not develop into
turbulent flow, but rather a steady laminar wake develops into an
unsteady, but stable, laminar wake. The vortices are generated
periodically on alternate sides of the horizontal axis through the wake
and the center of the cylinder. In this way, a row of vortices are formed,
develops from amplified disturbances in the wake. However, as the
Reynolds number rises an identifiable thin boundary layer begins to form
on the cylinder surface and the disturbance develops increasingly closer
to the cylinder. Finally, above about Re = 100 eddies are shed alternately
from the laminar separation points on either side of the cylinder Thus, a
3 100 < Re < 200 vortex will be generated in the regon behind the separation point on one
side, while a corresponding vortex on the other side will break away from
the cylinder and move downstream in the wake. When the attached
vortex reaches a particular strength, it will in turn break away and a new
vortex will begin to develop again on the second side and so on. The
wake thus consists of a procession of equal-strength vortices, equally
spaced but alternating in sign. This type of wake, which can occur behind
all long cylinders
effect on the shedding frequency even though the vortices themselves
develop considerable irregular fluctuations. Note that with laminar
4 𝟒𝟎𝟎 < 𝐑𝐞 < 𝟑 ∗ 𝟏𝟎𝟓 separation the flow separates at points on the front half of the cylinder,
thereby forming a large wake and producing a high-level of form drag. In
this case, the contribution of skin-friction drag is all but negligible

When the Reynolds number reaches a value in the vicinity of 3 x 10^5 the
laminar boundary layer undergoes transition to turbulence almost
5 𝟑 ∗ 𝟏𝟎𝟓 < 𝐑𝐞 < 𝟑 ∗ 𝟏𝟎𝟔 immediately after separation. The increased mixing re-energizes the
separated flow causing it to reattach as a turbulent boundary layer,
thereby forming a separation bubble

The final change in the flow pattern occurs at Re = 3 x 10^6 when the
separation bubble disappears,
Ths transition has a stabilizing effect on the shedding frequency which
6 𝐑𝐞 > 𝟑 ∗ 𝟏𝟎𝟔 becomes discernible again. CD rises slowly as the Reynolds number
increases beyond 3 x 10^6. The actual value of the Reynolds number at
the critical stage when the dramatic drag decrease occurs depends

The Reynolds number is varied may be considered


with reference to the flow past a circular cylinder.
For the most part the flow past a sphere also
behaves in a similar way. At very low Reynolds
number, i.e. less than unity
Blasius Equation Solution
Matlab code for Blasius Equation Solution

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