Numerical simulation of unsteady low-Reynolds number flow around rectangular cylinders

Calculations of unsteady two-dimensional-flow around rectangular cylinders at incidence are presented. The Reynolds numbers are low ( ⩽ 200), so that the flow presumably is laminar. The results are in reasonable agreement with the indeed scarce experimental data available at these low Reynolds numbers. An incompressible SIMPLEC code is used employing non-staggered grid arrangement. A third-order QUICK scheme is used for the convective terms. The time discretization is implicit and a second-order Crank-Nicolson scheme is employed. The influence of the cylinder side ratio ( = 1−4) at various angles of incidence (α = 0°−90°) is investigated. A number of quantities such as Strouhal number, drag, lift, and moment coefficients are calculated. Time sequences of fully saturated flow are also provided