The flow-induced vibration of a flexible strip hanging vertically in a parallel flow - Part 1: Temporal aeroelastic instability

The effect of several parameters in a fluid-strip system are studied for li near/nonlinear models in detail. Such parameters are: the number of modes i n the Galerkin discretization, the length of the strip, and the flow veloci ty. The present simulation clearly shows that when nonlinear forces are con sidered the response approaches a flutter-type limit cycle at supercritical flow speeds. The Reynolds number at which the strip begins to oscillate is about 10(4)-10(5). With a further increase of the flow velocity the strip oscillates regularly. At higher flow velocities the oscillation becomes vio lent and irregular. The amplitude, frequency and drag coefficient at the li mit cycle are presented as functions of the flow velocity for a given strip . The numerical predictions are in qualitative agreement with previous expe rimental data. (C) 2001 Academic Press.