Transition from Vortex Shedding to Jet Formation in the wake of Kirigami Sheets in Flow

In this study, we explore the transition from vortex shedding to jet formation in the wake of kirigami sheets placed in flow at low Reynolds numbers using computational fluid dynamics simulations. In these simulations, we use multiple walls to obstruct the flow from the inlet, allowing it to flow only through small orifices of a kirigami sheet into a domain of quiescent fluid. This setup enables a detailed examination of how variations in the dimensions—length, height, and gap—of these obstructing walls influence the flow dynamics in the wake of the kirigami sheets. This study is conducted for several cases of ribbon-cut Kirigami patterns, where experimental results have already shown that the incoming flow results in buckling or elongation of the sheet. A comparison between experiments and simulations sheds light on the mechanisms for the formation of jets and vortices at multiple scales in the wake of kirigami sheets.