Flow-Induced Forces on a Cylinder for Different Wall Confinements at High Reynolds Numbers (3.5×105)<Re<(1.2×106)

The nearness of a cylinder to a wall has an important effect on the flow-induced forces exerted on that cylinder, particularly when the cylinder is relatively large compared to the cross section of the flow channel. This paper describes an investigation of wall interference effects that occur when crossflow-induced forces are exerted on circular cylinders with moderately large blockages (d/h = 0.2 to 0.33) at high Reynolds numbers (3.5 × 105 – 1.2 × 106). The results show that, within the range studied, the gap flow velocity is the correct flow velocity to compensate for wall interference effects. The data reported here represent the first available information on experimental cross-flow-induced forces at such high Reynolds numbers using water as a flow medium.