Noisy inflows cause a shedding-mode switching in flow past an oscillating cylinder

The effect of noisy inflow on the vortex formation behind an oscillating circular cylinder was investigated. A stochastically laminar flow past an oscillating cylinder with random inflow consisting of a uniform mean inflow plus a random component was simulated. The instantaneous root mean square (rms) isocontours of the stochastic vorticity field superimposed on isocontours of the deterministic field at the same time instant was presented. The regions of uncertainly in the very near wake was found to exhibit a complex distribution that matched with the same features of the deterministic field.