Hysteresis at low Reynolds number: onset of two-dimensional vortex shedding
Hysteresis has been observed in a study of the transition between laminar flow and vortex shedding in a quasi-two-dimensional system. The system is a vertical, rapidly flowing soap film which is penetrated by a rod oriented perpendicular to the film plane. Our experiments show that the transition from laminar flow to a periodic von Karman vortex street can be hysteretic, i.e., vortices can survive at velocities lower than the velocity needed to generate them.
Horvath
VK
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA.
Cressman
JR
Goldburg
WI
Wu
XL