Multiple-arc cylinder under flow: Vortex-induced vibration and energy harvesting

The shape of a cylindrical cross-section affects the vibrational performance. The vortex-induced vibration (VIV) phenomena of multiple-arc cylinders were numerically investigated to assess their impact on hydrodynamic energy harvesting and potential vibration suppression across a flow velocity range of 0.2 m/s to 1.4 m/s (1.767 × 10⁴<Re < 1.237 × 10⁵). The study involves five types of multiple-arc cylinders: 4-arc, 8-arc, 16-arc, 24-arc, and circular cylinders. The accuracy of the numerical method was validated through comparison with experimental data. Specifically, increasing the number of arcs generally enhances overall energy conversion efficiency. Then, the VIV response and energy conversion results of the 24-arc cylinder are similar to those of the circular cylinder with maximum efficiency. Notably, the 4-arc cylinder achieves a global maximum amplitude of 0.074 m (A∗ = 0.83) and a power output of 4.4 W with the new P + T mode, making it the most effective configuration for flow velocities between 0.7 and 0.9 m/s. For vibration suppression of multiple-arc cylinders, the appropriate arc structure effectively reduces amplitudes. The small vortices generated by the arc structures disrupt the separation of normal vortices from the boundary layer, leading to approximately a 50 % reduction in amplitude responses for 8-arc and 16-arc cylinders.