Vortex induced vibration analysis of a cylinder mounted on a flexible rod

In this study, vortex induced vibrations of a cylinder mounted on a flexible rod are analyzed. This simple configuration represents the key element of new conception bladeless wind turbine (Whitlock 2015). In this study the structure oscillations equation coupled to the wake oscillation equation for this configuration are solved using analytical perturbation method, for the first time. An analytical expression that predicts the lock-in phenomena range of wind speed is derived. The discretized equations of motion are also solved using RKF45 numerical method. The equations of motion are discretized by Galerkin method. Free vibration mode shape of the structure taking into account the discontinuity of the cross section are used as comparison function. Numerical results are compared to the analytical results, and they show a satisfying agreement. The effect of system parameters on the oscillations of structure and wake as well as on the lock-in domain are presented. Moreover, it is shown that the values of wind speed triggering the start and the stop of the lock-in phenomenon, for increasing wind speed are different from those values obtained during the reverse process, i.e., when the wind speed decreases.