Understanding and predicting vortex-induced vibrations

Abstract

Vortex-induced vibration of solid structures has been known since ancient times, and remains a very important problem of fluid mechanics. Experimental studies of the vortex-induced vibration of circular cylinders have provided many fundamental insights. Recent extremely carefully controlled forced vibration experiments by Morse & Williamson (J. Fluid Mech., 2009, this issue, vol. 634, pp. 539), generating finely resolved data sets, are providing a fresh understanding of the mechanisms involved, especially for ocean structures with very low mass and damping. © 2009 Cambridge University Press.