On the response and wake modes of a cylinder undergoing streamwise vortex-induced vibration

This brief communication elaborates on aspects of the free response and wake modes of a flexibly-supported cylinder undergoing vortex-induced vibration in the streamwise direction only in view of some recent studies in the literature. It discusses the meaning of the term ‘lock-in’ employed in the context of forced excitation and free response studies, the influence of added mass on the response frequency, the competition between alternating and symmetrical modes and associated excitation mechanisms, and the drop in amplitude in the range separating the two response branches. A few similarities between single-degree-of-freedom streamwise and transverse vibrations are brought to light. Finally, attention is drawn to some discrepancies between published results which call for further understanding of the complicated nature of vortex-induced vibration.