Numerical Analyses of Flow around Airfoils Subjected to Flow Induced Vibration

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Yokono, Y. | Biswas, D.

Affiliations: Corporate Research & Development Center, Toshiba Corporation, 1 Komukai Toshiba-cho, Saiwai-ku, Kawasaki, 212-8582, Japan

Abstract: This paper describes extensive computer-based analytical studies on the details of unsteady flow behavior around airfoils subjected to flow induced vibration in turbo-machinery. To consider the time-dependent motions of airfoils, a complete Navier-Stokes solver incorporating a moving mesh based on an analytic solution of motion equation for airfoil translation and rotation was applied. The drag and lift coefficients for the cases of stationary airfoils and airfoils subjected to flow induced vibration were examined. From the numerical results in non-coupling case as out of consideration of the airfoil motion, it was found that the separation vortex consisted of large-scale rolls with axes in the span direction, and rib substructures with axes in the stream direction. In the coupling simulation including the airfoil motion, both the translation and the rotation displacement were gradually increased when the airfoil translation and rotation natural frequencies synchronize exactly with the oscillation frequency of the fluid force. In addition, the transformation from complex structure with rolls and ribs to two-dimensional aspect of only rolls could be visualized in three-dimensional simulation.

Keywords: Flow Induced Vibration, ALE, Flutter, Airfoil, Vortex

Journal: Journal of Visualization, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 271-280, 2007