Modification of a vortex street by a polymer additive

Abstract

A Kármán vortex street is created in a flowing soap film by a rod penetrating the film. The velocity field generated by this rod is modified by the addition of the polymer polyethylene oxide having a molecular weight of 5×106 and a concentration of 30 wppm. The rms velocity fluctuations behind the rod are strongly suppressed by the polymer additive and the power spectrum of the velocity fluctuations is modified as well. The experiments show that the polymer additive decreases the rate at which energy is injected into the flow. The measurements further indicate that the polymer introduces an elongational viscosity term into the Navier–Stokes equation.