Numerical Investigation of Flow Characteristics around Four Tandem Circular Cylinders

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-600-5_18How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Pier; tandem arrangement; spacing ratio; flow characteristics around

Abstract

To investigate the influence of the spacing ratio on the flow characteristics around four tandem cylinders of equal diameter, numerical simulations of three different spacing combinations were conducted based on Fluent. By analyzing the velocity cloud diagrams, streamline distributions, and vorticity fields, the flow interference between the cylinders, the velocity distribution patterns, the evolution of streamline shapes, and the characteristics of wake vortex shedding were systematically studied. The results show that the spacing combinations have a significant impact on the flow structure. When the cylinders are arranged at equal intervals (L/D = 2.5), the flow interference between the cylinders is intense, a distinct stagnant flow zone forms in the middle, and the wake vortex structure is compressed and disrupted. Non-uniform spacing combinations (such as alternating L/D = 2.5 and L/D = 5) can alleviate the interference, promote the recovery and stabilization of the flow velocity, and facilitate the formation of a stable vortex street. Additionally, the wake vortex shedding exhibits three-dimensional characteristics, and the regularity of the vortex street at the middle cross-section (Z = 0.2 - 0.3 m) is significantly better than that at the end cross-section (Z = 0.1 m). The research results can provide a theoretical basis for the optimization of bridge pier layout and the improvement of hydraulic performance.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Download article (PDF)

TY  - CONF
AU  - Yuanshun Huo
AU  - Xi Shi
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/02/26
TI  - Numerical Investigation of Flow Characteristics around Four Tandem Circular Cylinders
BT  - Proceedings of the 2025 8th International Conference on Civil Architecture, Hydropower and Engineering Management (CAHEM 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 177
EP  - 185
SN  - 2352-5401
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-600-5_18
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-600-5_18
ID  - Huo2026
ER  -