Suppression of vortex-induced vibrations of a cylinder in inertial-viscoelastic flow

The study of vortex -induced vibrations (VIV) has been primarily focused on Newtonian fluids. Recently, there has been an interest in the VIV response of a cylinder in non-Newtonian flows. Previous work has examined the VIV response of a cylinder in an in-elastic, shear thinning fluid. Now we experimentally examine the response of a flexibly mounted rigid cylinder in a viscoelastic flow where fluid inertia and elasticity are important. The vortices in the wake of the cylinder become elongated and the amplitude response is suppressed. The traditional bell-dome amplitude response is altered to a triangular response and the lock-in range is reduced. The subcritical response is suppressed and the critical Reynolds number at which vortices shed in the fixed and flexibly mounted case become similar. The existence of a critical elastic number is discussed that captures the transition from a stable cylinder to an oscillating cylinder.