Numerical simulations of boundary-layer transition induced by a cylinder wake

Direct and large-eddy simulations of the interaction between a laminar boundary layer and a von Kármán vortex street behind a circular cylinder are carried out for three values of the Reynolds number based on the cylinder diameter and free-stream velocity: ReD\,=\,385 , 1155 and 3900. Rapid, bypass-like transition to turbulence is observed in the two higher-Reynolds-number cases. Flow statistics in the transitional and turbulent regions are examined, followed by an investigation of the underlying transition mechanism. Qualitative similarities between wake-induced transition and bypass transition due to free-stream turbulence are discussed and the challenges of predicting boundary-layer transition in this complex environment are pointed out.