Turbulent transports in the flow around a rectangular cylinder with different aspect ratios

Abstract

The flow around a rectangular cylinder exhibits intricate features, encompassing phenomena such as separation, reattachment, boundary layer transition, and relaminarization. This study explores the intense transport of turbulent fluctuations in these complex flow phenomena, including momentum and turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) transport, for three aspect ratios (L/D=5,10 and 15) at a medium Reynolds number (Re=1000). The connection between these transports and crucial vortical structures is elucidated for the first time. On the lateral side of the cylinder, strong momentum transport occurs, dominated by ejection and sweep events associated with the hairpin vortex. The generation of the LE vortex also leads to active TKE production. The existence of the LE separation bubble, as well as the relaminarization of the downstream boundary layer at L/D=10 and 15, affects the distribution of production terms. This perspective offers an effective yet novel approach that has not been previously addressed in prior researches. The redistribution of TKE results in a disturbance growth, linked to boundary layer transition. The source term reveals that streamwise TKE carried into the recirculating region is closely related to the frequency prior amplified by the LE shear layer. In the wake behind TE, turbulent transports are influenced by vortex shedding patterns.