Fluidelastic Forces on Circular Cylinders

The fluidelastic behavior of a circular cylinder was studied. It is argued that improved empirical data on cylinders exposed to fluid flow are needed, and that it is better to impose cylinder motions and to measure the resultant fluid lift forces than to study the fluidelastic response directly. Accordingly, lift force data were collected, yielding direct evidence of fluidelastic force amplification and outline limits to the energy that may be extracted from the fluid flow and channeled into sustaining the more serious flow-induced vibrations. The application of fluid lift data at the design stage of cylindrical structures is most feasible when it comes to the question of tradeoff between permissible amplitude and the damping to be provided. Use of lift force data in computing the complete structural response is shown to be more problematic.