2-DIMENSIONAL DISCRETE VORTEX METHOD FOR APPLICATION TO BLUFF-BODY AERODYNAMICS

Two-dimensional viscous incompressible flow past a flat plate of finit e thickness and length is simulated using the discrete vortex method. Both a fixed plate and a plate undergoing a harmonic heave and pitch m otion are studied. The Reynolds number is 10(4) and the reduced onset flow speed, U/fc is in the range 2-14. The fundamental kinematic relat ion between the velocity and the vorticity is used in a novel approach to determine the surface vorticity. An efficient influence matrix tec hnique is used in a fast adaptive multipole algorithm context to obtai n a mesh-free method. The numerical results are compared with the stea dy-state Blasius solution, and with the inviscid solution for the flow past an oscillating plate by Theodorsen.