Free-End Suction Control of the Aerodynamic Forces of a Cantilevered Square Cylinder

Abstract

Steady slot suction is applied near the leading edge of the free end of a cantilevered square cylinder to investigate its effects on the aerodynamic forces. The slot suction significantly changes the flow separation on the free end and also the aerodynamic forces on the entire cylinder span. The best control result appears at the suction coefficient Q = 1 (Q = Us/U∞, where Us is the suction velocity at the slot, and U∞ is the oncoming flow velocity), with the fluctuation drag and lift reduced by 17.8% and 45.5%, respectively. At Q = 1, the shear flow at the leading edge is weakened and reattaches on the cylinder free end, which results in stronger momentum transport between the free-end shear flow and the wake, thus suppressing the vortex shedding and aerodynamic forces efficiently.