Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Aerodynamic Characteristics of a Circular Cylinder in an Axial Flow

In this study, aerodynamic characteristics of a circular cylinder in an axial flow have been investigated numerically and experimentally. The model has been considered as a cylinder with truncated nose and fineness ratio of 3 (length to diameter ratio of 3). The investigation involves a series of wind tunnel measurements, flow visualization, and numerical simulation. We used different Mach numbers, ranging from 0.3 to 2.4, to cover subsonic, transonic, and supersonic flows. The flow visualization through Schlieren imaging was en performed at supersonic flow to study separation bubble and shock wave formation on cylindrical body. Axial force coefficient results show that this unconventional shaped cylindrical body with truncated nose and low fineness ratio has significant drag value, which is an order of magnitude larger than most high fineness ratio and pointed nose cylindrical bodies. The results show that by increasing Mach number, the shock stand-off distance is decreased and the strength of the shock is increased. The comparison between numerical and wind tunnel test results shows good agreements with reasonable accuracy to estimate aerodynamic force coefficients and flow structure.