A review of vortex shedding research and its application

This paper is a review of research work with cylinders in steady currents. The emphasis is mainly on cylinders in water, particularly the research undertaken at BHRA and its general application. Comparisons are made with the work of other authors for both water and air flow and over 60 references are reviewed. The mechanisms of flow-excited oscillations are discussed for isolated vertical and inclined cylinders. The effects of length/diameter ratio, cylinder surface roughness and channel blockage are presented. Wake interactions caused by cylinder-cylinder and cylinder-splitter arrangements are detailed. The results of tests with pane and three-dimensional frames are described and quantified in terms of isolated cylinder data.The paper closes with a section describing methods of avoiding oscillations by calculation at the design stage or by the use of clamp-on devices for completed structures in water flow.