Measurements of transverse forces on circular cylinders undergoing vortex-induced vibration

Experiments have been carried out on a circular cylinder, with and without helical strakes, free to respond in a direction transverse to a water flow. The Reynolds number range was between 3 x 10(3) and 2.1 X 10(4), the mass ratio was just above 0.8 and the fraction of critical damping was approximately 2 x 10(-4). Measurements are presented of the response, the transverse fluid force and the phase angle between the response and the force, all as a function of reduced velocity. The straked cylinder is observed to respond over a narrow range of reduced velocity and its maximum amplitude is decreased by just over 60%, compared with a plain cylinder. The familiar phase jump that occurs for a plain cylinder did not occur with the straked one, with the phase close to zero over the entire reduced velocity range where response to vortex shedding occurred. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.