The transitional wake behind an inclined prolate spheroid

The wake behind a 6:1 prolate spheroid at 45° incidence has been studied by means of direct numerical simulations (DNSs). The Reynolds number based on the minor axis of the spheroid was 3000 as compared to 1000 in our preceding study [Jiang et al., “The laminar wake behind a 6:1 prolate spheroid at 45° incidence angle,” Phys. Fluids 26, 113602 (2014)]. The resulting wake is no longer laminar and the transitional wake is fundamentally unsteady and highly asymmetric from the very beginning. A substantial side force resulted from the asymmetric pressure field. No signs of vortex shedding could be observed. The forces and the flow field around the spheroid exhibited a dominant periodicity with a surprisingly low Strouhal number of 0.0733. One part of the counter-rotating vortex pair which dominated the near-wake broke down into small-scale vortices as soon as the vortex left the shadow behind the spheroid. The other part appeared as a helical vortex inside which the mechanical energy was conserved over a substantial length. The axial flow within this vortex tube experienced a sudden change from having maximum to minimum at the vortex center while maintaining the sign of the circulation. The severe asymmetry of the wake is ascribed to a global instability and may impact on submarine maneuverability.