Vortex shedding from bluff bodies: a conformal mapping approach

A model to calculate flow around bluff bodies of various geometries is presented. A conformal map between the plane of the bluff body and the plane of a unit circular cylinder is established by using a combination of Karman–Trefftz transformations and Fornberg’s method. Flow in the circle plane is calculated using the authors’ Hybrid Potential Flow (HPF) model and mapped back to the shape plane. By joining this calculated near-body flow with von Karman’s model for a vortex wake, forces due to vortex shedding and shedding frequencies are calculated. In this manner, a complete solution for the flow around bluff bodies of various geometries is established. Results for two shapes are presented, along with recommendations for further work.