Developments in the understanding of bluff body flows

Abstract

The understanding of bluff body flows and their prediction are important in many areas of industrial development. The complex nature of these flows provides a challenge to both experimental and computational fluid dynamicists. Some of the more recent advances are reviewed, including the understanding of the near wake region and the instabilities that develop there. The role of vortex dislocations is discussed and it is shown how encouraging their formation can reduce drag. In addition to describing the improved insight that can be provided by computational fluid dynamics, the likely impact of new, non-intrusive measurement techniques is also assessed.