Numerical investigation of flow around a square cylinder in accelerated flow

To investigate the flow field evolution and resultant aerodynamic characteristics of a square cylinder during flow acceleration, large-eddy simulations were undertaken to simulate flow with a dimensionless acceleration rate ap of 0.0048. The adopted ap resembles that is likely to be experienced during a severe downburst wind storm. The tested incidence angle α ranges from 0° to 45° and the time-dependent Reynolds number Re [Re = U(t)D/v, where U(t) is the time-dependent inflow velocity and D and v are the cylinder length and the kinematic viscosity, respectively] varies from 0 to 5 × 104 throughout the simulation. Results revealed that the flow around a square cylinder in accelerated flow evolves through three distinct temporal flow phases: namely, Phase I (Ia and Ib) where no vortex shedding (the instantaneous lift force through this period is zero) is observed, Phase II, where periodic vortex shedding and associated lift force oscillations are initiated and enhanced, and Phase III where stable vortex shedding occurs. Phase I can be further broken down into Phase Ia, which is characterized by laminar shear layer separation and the existence of steady recirculation vortices in the near wake region, and Phase Ib (only present at α = 0° and 45°) which is distinguished by the presence of quasi-steady recirculation vortices behind the cylinder. Aside from the variation of flow patterns, the transient lift and drag coefficients and the wind pressure distributions, as well as the spatial evolution of three-dimensional flow structures and pressure distributions, are also elucidated in detail.