Development of a bluff body wake under the combined influence of curvature and pressure gradient

Abstract

The present experimental investigation deals with the behaviour of a wake generated by a square cylinder developing in a curved diffuser, a curved duct, a straight duct and a straight diffuser having a same pressure gradient as in the curved diffuser. This enables a systematic study of the effects of curvature and pressure gradient on wake development. It is seen that the curvature makes the wake asymmetric; the wake half width increases on the inner side and decreases on the outer side; the inner side being the region between the centreline and the wall closer to the centre of curvature and the outer side being the region between the centreline and the other wall. It causes a higher entrainment in the inner side as compared to the outer side. An adverse pressure gradient, on the other hand, causes a higher wake growth and velocity defect but reduces the rate of decay of the velocity defect. These are not altered significantly when the curvature and pressure gradient effects are combined. The curvature enhances the Reynolds stresses and the kinetic energy on the inner side and suppresses them on the outer side which makes their profiles asymmetric. These profiles become more and more asymmetric with increase in the streamwise distance. When the effects of curvature and adverse pressure gradient are combined, the profiles become further asymmetric.