Wind tunnel investigations on aerodynamics of a 2:1 rectangular section for various angles of wind incidence

Multivariate fluctuating pressures acting on a 2:1 rectangular section (2-D) with dimensions of 9 cm by 4.5 cm has been studied using wind tunnel experiments under uniform and smooth flow condition for various angles of wind incidence. Based on the variation of mean pressure coefficient distributions along the circumference of the rectangular section with angle of wind incidence, and with the aid of skin friction coefficients, three distinct flow regimes with two transition regimes have been identified. Further, variations of mean drag and lift coefficients, Strouhal number with angles of wind incidence have been studied. The applicability of Universal Strouhal number based on vortex street similarity of wakes in bluff bodies to the 2:1 rectangular section has been studied for different angles of wind incidence. The spatio-temporal correlation features of the measured pressure data have been studied using Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) technique. The contribution of individual POD modes to the aerodynamic force components, viz, drag and lift, have been studied. It has been demonstrated that individual POD modes can be associated to different physical phenomena, which contribute to the overall aerodynamic forces.