Simulation study on flow behavior around a wall-mounted finite height square cylinder with corner chamfer

Abstract

Current work aims to investigate the effect of applying corner chamfer on the wake of the square cylinder and understand the effect that various chamfer sizes have on the flow characteristics. The study also involves the understanding of the weakening of the wake, thus, possible improvement in structural integrity. The result of applying various corner chamfer on flow, mainly the plate cylinder juncture region, the tip region, and the wake region around the wall-mounted finite height square cylinder are investigated. The Aspect Ratio (AR) is kept at 4. The investigation employed the Improved Delayed Detached Eddy Simulation (IDDES) turbulence model in Fluent. Flow characteristics for the square cylinder without chamfer were validated against wind tunnel experimental results at a Reynolds number of 12,000 involving a similar geometry. Three cylinders with increasing corner chamfer were studied, and their results, as well as a comparison with the simple square cylinder, are discussed in this paper. The results in the wake region for various vertical and horizontal planes of the bluff body were analyzed. By applying a corner chamfer, a decrease in the wake was observed. By increasing the chamfer, improvement in the flow was observed, i.e., a reduction in drag coefficient, a smaller horseshoe vortex zone, wake region behind the cylinder was reduced, Strouhal number increased, and vortex structure diminish quicker.