Computation of vortex shedding and radiated sound for a circular cylinder: Subcritical to transcritical Reynolds numbers

The Lighthill acoustic analogy combined with Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes flow computations are used to investigate the ability of existing technology to predict the tonal noise generated by vortex shedding from a circular cylinder for a range of Reynolds numbers (100 less than or equal to Re less than or equal to 5 million). Computed mean drag, mean coefficient of pressure, Strouhal number, and fluctuating lift are compared with experiment. Two-dimensional calculations produce a Reynolds number trend similar to experiment but incorrectly predict many of the flow quantities. Different turbulence models give inconsistent results in the critical Reynolds number range (Re approximate to 100 000). The computed flow field is used as input for noise prediction. Two-dimensional inputs overpredict both noise amplitude and frequency; however, if an appropriate correlation length is used, predicted noise amplitudes agree with experiment. Noise levels and frequency content agree much better with experiment when three-dimensional flow computations are used as input data.