Kármán vortex street

In fluid dynamics, a Kármán vortex street (or a

von Kármán vortex street) is a repeating pattern
of swirling vortices, caused by a process known
as vortex shedding, which is responsible for the
unsteady separation of flow of a fluid around
blunt bodies. It is named after the engineer and
fluid dynamicist Theodore von Kármán,[1] and is Visualisation of the vortex street behind a circular cylinder in air; the
responsible for such phenomena as the "singing" flow is made visible through release of oil vapour in the air near the
of suspended telephone or power lines and the cylinder

vibration of a car antenna at certain speeds.

Contents
Analysis
In meteorology
Engineering problems
Formula
History
See also
References
External links

Analysis
A vortex street will only form at a certain range of
flow velocities, specified by a range of Reynolds
numbers (Re), typically above a limiting Re value
of about 90. The (global) Reynolds number for a
flow is a measure of the ratio of inertial to viscous
forces in the flow of a fluid around a body or in a
channel, and may be defined as a nondimensional
parameter of the global speed of the whole fluid
flow:

Animation of vortex street created by a cylindrical object; the flow on

opposite sides of the object is given different colors, showing that the
vortices are shed from alternating sides of the object
where:

= the free stream flow speed (i.e. the

flow speed far from the fluid boundaries like the body speed relative to the fluid at rest, or an inviscid flow speed,
computed through the Bernoulli equation), which is the original global flow parameter , i.e. the target to be non-
dimensionalised.
= a characteristic length parameter of the body or channel
 = the free stream kinematic viscosity parameter of the fluid, which in
turn is the ratio:

between:

= the reference fluid density.

= the free stream fluiddynamic viscosity A look at the Kármán vortex street
effect from ground level, as air flows
For common flows (the ones which can usually be considered as incompressible or
quickly from the Pacific ocean
isothermal), the kinematic viscosity is everywhere uniform over all the flow field eastward over Mojave desert
and constant in time, so there is no choice on the viscosity parameter, which mountains.
becomes naturally the kinematic viscosity of the fluid being considered at the
temperature being considered. On the other hand, the reference length is always an
arbitrary parameter, so particular attention should be put when comparing flows around different obstacles or in channels of different
shapes: the global Reynolds numbers should be referred to the same reference length. This is actually the reason for which most
precise sources for airfoil and channel flow data specify the reference length at a pedix to the Reynolds number. The reference length
can vary depending on the analysis to be performed: for body with circle sections such as circular cylinders or spheres, one usually
chooses the diameter; for an airfoil, a generic non-circular cylinder or a bluff body or a revolution body like a fuselage or a
submarine, it is usually the profile chord or the profile thickness, or some other given widths that are in fact stable design inputs; for
flow channels usually thehydraulic diameter) about which the fluid is flowing.

Interestingly, for an aerodynamic profile the reference length depends on the analysis. In fact, the profile chord is usually chosen as
the reference length also for aerodynamic coefficient for wing sections and thin profiles in which the primary target is to maximize
the lift coefficient or the lift/drag ratio (i.e. as usual in thin airfoil theory, one would employ the chord Reynolds as the flow speed
parameter for comparing different profiles). On the other hand, for fairings and struts the given parameter is usually the dimension of
internal structure to be streamlined (let us think for simplicity it is a beam with circular section), and the main target is to minimize
the drag coefficient or the drag/lift ratio. The main design parameter which becomes naturally also a reference length is therefore the
profile thickness (the profile dimension or area perpendicular to the flow direction), rather than the profile chord.

The range of Re values will vary with the size and shape of the body from which the eddies are being shed, as well as with the
kinematic viscosity of the fluid. Over a large Red range (47<Red<105 for circular cylinders; reference length is d: diameter of the
circular cylinder) eddies are shed continuously from each side of the circle boundary, forming rows of vortices in its wake. The
alternation leads to the core of a vortex in one row being opposite the point midway between two vortex cores in the other row
, giving
rise to the distinctive pattern shown in the picture. Ultimately, the energy of the vortices is consumed by viscosity as they move
further down stream, and the regular pattern disappears.

When a single vortex is shed, an asymmetrical flow pattern forms around the body and changes the pressure distribution. This means
that the alternate shedding of vortices can createperiodic lateral (sideways) forces on the body in question, causing it to vibrate. If the
vortex shedding frequency is similar to the natural frequency of a body or structure, it causes resonance. It is this forced vibration
that, at the correct frequency, causes suspended telephone or power lines to "sing" and the antenna on a car to vibrate more strongly at
certain speeds.

In meteorology
The flow of atmospheric air over obstacles such as islands or isolated mountains sometimes gives birth to von Kármán vortex streets.
When a cloud layer is present at the relevant altitude, the streets become visible. Such cloud layer vortex streets have been
photographed from satellites.[2]

Engineering problems

Play media
Simulated vortex street around a
no-slip cylindrical obstruction
In low turbulence, tall buildings can produce a
Kármán street, so long as the structure is uniform
along its height. In urban areas where there are many
other tall structures nearby, the turbulence produced
by these prevents the formation of coherent
vortices.[3] Periodic crosswind forces set up by
vortices along object's sides can be highly
undesirable, and hence it is important for engineers
to account for the possible effects of vortex shedding
when designing a wide range of structures, from
submarine periscopes to industrial chimneys and
skyscrapers.

In order to prevent the unwanted vibration of such

cylindrical bodies, a longitudinal fin can be fitted on Kármán vortex street
the downstream side, which, provided it is longer caused by wind flowing
around the Juan
than the diameter of the cylinder, will prevent the
Play media Fernández Islands off
The same cylinder, now with a fin, eddies from interacting, and consequently they the Chilean coast
suppressing the vortex street by remain attached. Obviously, for a tall building or
reducing the region in which the mast, the relative wind could come
side eddies can interact from any direction. For this reason,
helical projections that look like large
screw threads are sometimes placed at
the top, which effectively create asymmetric three-dimensional flow, thereby
discouraging the alternate shedding of vortices; this is also found in some car
antennas. Another countermeasure with tall buildings is using variation in the
diameter with height, such as tapering - that prevents the entire building being driven
at the same frequency.

Even more serious instability can be created in concretecooling towers, for example,
especially when built together in clusters. Vortex shedding caused the collapse of
three towers at Ferrybridge Power Station Cin 1965 during high winds.

The failure of the original Tacoma Narrows Bridge was originally attributed to
excessive vibration due to vortex shedding, but was actually caused by aeroelastic
flutter.

[4][5]
Kármán turbulence is also a problem for airplanes, especially at landing. Chimneys with strakes fitted to break
up vortices

Formula
This formula will generally hold true for the range 40 < Re
d < 150:

where:

f = vortex shedding frequency.

 d = diameter of the cylinder
U = flow velocity.
This dimensionless parameter St is known as the Strouhal number and is named after the Czech physicist, Vincenc Strouhal (1850–
1922) who first investigated the steady humming or singing of telegraph wires in 1878.

History
Although named after Theodore von Kármán,[6][7] he acknowledged[8] that the vortex street had been studied earlier by Mallock[9]
and Bénard.[10]

See also
Eddy (fluid dynamics)
Kelvin–Helmholtz instability
Reynolds number
Vortex shedding
Vortex-induced vibration
Coandă effect

References
1. Theodore von Kármán,Aerodynamics. McGraw-Hill (1963): ISBN 978-0-07-067602-2. Dover (1994): ISBN 978-0-
486-43485-8.
2. "Rapid Response - LANCE - Terra/MODIS 2010/226 14:55 UTC" (http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/imagery/si
ngle.cgi?image=AtlanticOcean.A2010226.1455.1km.jpg)
. Rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2013-12-20.
3. Irwin, Peter A. (September 2010). "Vortices and tall buildings: A recipe for resonance".Physics Today. American
Institute of Physics. 63 (9): 68–69. Bibcode:2010PhT....63i..68I (http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2010PhT ....63i..68I).
doi:10.1063/1.3490510 (https://doi.org/10.1063%2F1.3490510). ISSN 0031-9228 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/003
1-9228).
4. Wake turbulence (http://what-when-how.com/flight/wake-turbulence/)
5. AIRPORT OPENING CEREMONY POSTPONED (http://www.sainthelenaaccess.com/news/2016/04/27/airport-openi
ng-ceremony-postponed/)
6. T. von Kármán: Nachr. Ges. Wissenschaft. Göttingen Math. Phys. Klasse pp. 509–517 (1911) and pp. 547–556
(1912).
7. T. von Kármán: and H. Rubach, 1912:Phys. Z.", vol. 13, pp. 49–59.
8. T. Kármán, 1954. Aerodynamics: Selected Topics in the Light of Their Historical Development(Cornell University
Press, Ithaca), pp. 68–69.
9. A. Mallock, 1907: On the resistance of air
. Proc. Royal Soc., A79, pp. 262–265.
10. H. Bénard, 1908: Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences(Paris), vol. 147, pp. 839–842, 970–972.

External links
Encyclopedia of Mathematics article on von Karman vortex shedding
Kármán vortex street formula calculator
3D animation of the Vortex Flow Measuring Principle
Vortex streets and Strouhal instability
How Insects Fly (which can produce von Kármán vortices)
YouTube — Flow visualisation of the vortex shedding mechanism on circular cylinder using hydrogen bubbles
illuminated by a laser sheet in a water channel
Various Views of von Karman Vortices, NASA page

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kármán_vortex_street&oldid=836467188

"
This page was last edited on 15 April 2018, at 00:09.

Text is available under theCreative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this
site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of theWikimedia
Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.