Passive Control of Vortex-Induced Vibrations: An Overview

Raghavan   A.   Kumar; Chan-Hyun      Sohn; Bangalore   H.L.   Gowda

doi:10.2174/2212797610801010001

Abstract

Vortex-Induced Vibration (VIV) is a possible phenomenon in situations where a bluff body interacts with a fluid flow. There are many potential areas where this phenomenon could be observed such as in heat exchanger tube bundles, marine structures, bridges, power transmission lines etc. Due to VIV, the structures could be subjected to very large transverse vibrations which may lead to their fatigue failure. Hence, controlling vortex-induced vibrations or if possible, suppressing them is of paramount importance in practical situations, particularly in a situation like marine deep water environment where the fault diagnosis and repair would be extremely difficult. This could be achieved by passive and active control means. In this paper, a review of the passive control of VIV through various means is presented particularly emphasizing some recent inventions patented in this area. The review indicates that, in practical applications especially in marine engineering situations, passive control measures such as employing a streamline fairing or a helical strake, prolong the life of offshore structures by protecting them from vortex-induced vibrations. The paper includes recent patents on this topic and concludes with a note on the current and future developments expected in the passive control of VIV.

Keywords: Vortex-induced vibrations, passive control, damping, streamlining, add-on device, surface modification, boundary layer control, control cylinder