INSTABILITY OF FLOW PAST A CASCADE OF CIRCULAR CYLINDERS

The unsteady dynamics of laminar separation bubbles such as those arising in bluff body flows, or behind obstacles, is of considerable practical interest. Bubble formation near the leading edge of an aerofoil can dramatically alter the characteristics of the flow over the wing and induce stall. Similarly, laminar separation near the trailing edge of an aerofoil and instability of the separation bubble can in.uence the dynamics of the wake flow. The flow past a row bluff bodies placed in a uniform stream, is often used to model engine inlet flows, and thus an understanding of the unsteady dynamics of the eddies which form behind the bluff bodies and the unsteady development of the wake flow is useful in predicting the flow impinging on subsequent rotor blades.