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We experimentally investigate the wake dynamics of a square cylinder rising through quiescent water over a range of Froude numbers (Fr). Time-resolved particle image velocimetry provides velocity and vorticity fields that enable pressure reconstruction and vortex characterization. Diagnostics based on swirl strength (λci), the Okubo–Weiss parameter (W), and a shear–vortex interaction measure (Λ) reveal that the wake is governed by a persistent pair of counter-rotating vortices rather than by periodic shedding. Circulation exhibits a two-regime dependence on Fr, with a sharp increase below Fr≈1 and saturation above this threshold, mirroring entrainment force scaling reported previously. While vortex area remains nearly constant, swirl strength and negative-W regions expand with Fr, indicating that entrainment enhancement arises from intensified rotation rather than an enlarged vortex footprint. These findings provide new physical insight into vortex-free-surface interactions and enrich the understanding of entrainment mechanisms in unsteady wakes, with implications for multiphase flows and the hydrodynamic design of naval and offshore structures.
Ashraf et al. (Mon,) studied this question.