Vortex dynamics of axisymmetric cones at high angles of attack

Vortex asymmetry, dynamics, and breakdown in the wake of an axisymmetric cone have been investigated using direct numerical simulation for a wide range of angles of attack. The immersed boundary method is employed with pseudo-body-conformal grids to ensure the accuracy and resolution requirements near the body while being able to account for topology changes near the cone tip. The separated shear layer originated from the surface of the cone swirls into a strong primary vortex. Beneath the primary vortex on the leeward surface of the cone, a well-coherent counter-rotating secondary vorticity is generated. Beyond a particular threshold of swirl, the attached vortex structure breaks and the flow undergoes a chaotic transformation. Depending on the angle of attack, the flow shows different levels of instabilities and the topology of the vortices changes in the wake. In addition to swirl, spiral vortices that revolve around the primary vortex core often merge with the core and play a role in developing the double-helix mode of instability at the onset of the vortex breakdown. At the angle of attack of 60 degrees, the time-averaged side force becomes asymmetric at the stage where the drag overcomes the lift. At the angle of attack of 75 degrees, the primary vortex governs the flow asymmetry and the side force. Flow asymmetry is independent of the vortex breakdown. Finally, the contribution of primary vortices to the total forces is quantified using a force partitioning method.