Three-dimensional numerical simulations of circular cylinders undergoing two degree-of-freedom vortex-induced vibrations

In an effort to gain a better understanding of vortex-induced vibrations (VIV), we present three-dimensional numerical simulations of VIV of circular cylinders. We consider operating conditions that correspond to a Reynolds number of 10(5), low structural mass and damping (m(*) = 1.0, zeta(*) = 0.005), a reduced velocity of U-* = 6.0, and allow for two degree-of-freedom (X and Y) motion. The numerical implementation makes use of overset (Chimera) grids, in a multiple block environment where the workload associated with the blocks is distributed among multiple processors working in parallel. The three-dimensional grid around the cylinder is allowed to undergo arbitrary motions with respect to fixed background grids, eliminating the need for grid regeneration as the structure moves on the fluid mesh.