A predictive model of the drag coefficient of a circular cylinder

Abstract

We suggest a predictive model of the drag coefficient of a circular cylinder using the information of the mean streamwise velocity and Reynolds normal stresses at a streamwise location in the wake. The boundary layer approximation in the wake and Bernoulli equation in the inviscid region are used to model the contribution from the pressure distribution at the streamwise measurement location. To examine the accuracy of the present model, unsteady three-dimensional numerical simulations are conducted at various Reynolds numbers from laminar to critical regimes. The drag coefficients predicted from the present model agree very well with those from the present numerical simulation.