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A Model for the von Kármán Vortex Street

Citation

Schatzman, James Carl (1981) A Model for the von Kármán Vortex Street. Dissertation (Ph.D.), California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/34YN-H995. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechETD:etd-05122005-112041

Abstract

In the wake of a two-dimensional bluff body placed in a uniform stream, for sufficiently large but not too large flow velocity a distinctive pattern of vorticity is observed. The pattern consists of "vortices" of high vorticity surrounded by nearly irrotational fluid. These vortices are organized in two nearly parallel staggered rows of vortices of opposite direction of rotation. This pattern is called the von Kármán vortex street.

This thesis is a report on the analysis of a model for the von Kármán vortex street. The model is inviscid, incompressible, two-dimensional, and consists of vortices of finite area and uniform vorticity. The first part of this thesis contains a brief survey of the work on this problem, and an explanation of the approach used in the present work; the second part describes calculations of steady solutions of the Euler equations of this kind, and the third part describes an analysis of the stability of these steady solutions to two-dimensional disturbances.

The calculations indicate that the vortex wake can be stabilized by sufficiently large area of the vortices. Data are given which (to some approximation) will permit relating the street to the flow past a body; this is proposed as a suitable study for further work.

Item Type:Thesis (Dissertation (Ph.D.))
Subject Keywords:Applied Mathematics
Degree Grantor:California Institute of Technology
Division:Engineering and Applied Science
Major Option:Applied Mathematics
Thesis Availability:Public (worldwide access)
Research Advisor(s):
  • Saffman, Philip G.
Thesis Committee:
  • Saffman, Philip G. (chair)
  • Keller, Herbert Bishop
  • Fornberg, Bengt
  • Brennen, Christopher E.
  • Roshko, Anatol
Defense Date:4 May 1981
Non-Caltech Author Email:James.Schatzman (AT) futurelabusa.com
Funders:
Funding AgencyGrant Number
CaltechUNSPECIFIED
Department of Energy (DOE)UNSPECIFIED
Record Number:CaltechETD:etd-05122005-112041
Persistent URL:https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechETD:etd-05122005-112041
DOI:10.7907/34YN-H995
Default Usage Policy:No commercial reproduction, distribution, display or performance rights in this work are provided.
ID Code:1751
Collection:CaltechTHESIS
Deposited By: Imported from ETD-db
Deposited On:12 May 2005
Last Modified:13 May 2020 18:08

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