Effects of harmonic forcing on self-sustained oscillations in cavity flows at low Mach numbers: experiments and modelling

We investigate the effects of external harmonic forcing on flow through a duct with square cross-section containing two circular orifice plates – a double-orifice cavity – at an operating condition where self-sustained limit cycle oscillations are observed. When the oscillatory flow is periodically forced at a frequency ff near its natural frequency fₙ ( 0.9 ff /fₙ 1.1 ), it undergoes lock-in and amplitude suppression through synchronous quenching. We observe phase-drifting (or phase-slipping) prior to lock-in that happens via a saddle-node bifurcation. However, when the flow system is forced far from its natural frequency ( 0.8 ff /fₙ 0.9 and 1.1 ff /fₙ 1.4 ) lock-in happens via asynchronous quenching through a Neimark–Sacker bifurcation (torus death). In asynchronous quenching, phase-drifting and phase-trapping are observed before lock-in. An asymmetry is present in the synchronization map on forcing either side of the natural frequency, which becomes more pronounced in the asynchronous quenching regime. There is also an observed saturation of the synchronization map for ff/fₙ> 1 over the range of frequencies explored. Subharmonic synchronization or $1:2$ lock-in with period-two oscillations is also observed when the system is forced near fₙ/2 ( 0.49 ff /fₙ 0.51 ). The route to lock-in consists of a three frequency regime where subharmonics of the forcing frequency ( ff/2 and ff/3 ) play an important role in the dynamics. The transition from $1:1$ to $1:2$ lock-in occurs via a de-lock-in regime ( 0.55 ff /fₙ 0.65 ), where a lock-in boundary is present; i.e. the system delocks after lock-in if the amplitude is raised beyond a critical value. The de-lock-in regime is also characterized by a nonlinear phase drift after de-lock-in and a significant jump in the forcing amplitude for lock-in for ff/fₙ=0.6 . Amplification is observed for ff/fₙ> 1 and also in the $1:2$ lock-in and de-lock-in regimes where the total signal power exceeds the unforced system’s power for small increases in forcing amplitude after lock-in. Based on these results, we identify the asynchronous quenching regime for ff/fₙ< 1 as the optimal frequency range where active control is most effective. Finally, we introduce a reduced-order phenomenological model based on vortex–acoustic interaction dynamics from first principles. The model correctly identifies the four regimes, their dynamics leading to lock-in, and asymmetry and saturation in the synchronization map.