Experiments on the flow field of a circular cylinder having a front vertical plate

The characteristics of the flow field of a circular cylinder having a small vertical plate at the upstream side are investigated by measuring the fluid force on the circular cylinder and by visualizing the flow field using particle image velocimetry. The experimental parameters are the width ratios (H/B = 0.2–0.6) of the vertical plates to the circular cylinder's diameter, and the gap ratios (G/B = 0–3) between the circular cylinder and the vertical plate. The drag reduction rate and Strouhal number of the circular cylinder increased and then decreased with G/B in the case of the same H/B. The drag reduction rate increased with H/B in the case of the same G/B. In the case of a circular cylinder having a small vertical plate, the stagnation regions are represented on the upstream and downstream sides of the circular cylinder, and the size of that region on the upstream side increased with H/B.