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Evolution of large-scale vortices and its influence on flow and flexible vegetation dynamics of a finite-length canopy in a 2-D laminar flow

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 August 2025

Jinyuan Ni Open the ORCID record for Jinyuan Ni [Opens in a new window] ,
Zhimeng Zhang Open the ORCID record for Zhimeng Zhang [Opens in a new window] ,
Chunning Ji Open the ORCID record for Chunning Ji [Opens in a new window] ,
Dong Xu Open the ORCID record for Dong Xu [Opens in a new window]  and
Xing Zhang Open the ORCID record for Xing Zhang [Opens in a new window]
Jinyuan Ni
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Hydraulic Engineering Intelligent Construction and Operation, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China
Zhimeng Zhang
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Hydraulic Engineering Intelligent Construction and Operation, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China
Chunning Ji*
Affiliation:
State Key Laboratory of Hydraulic Engineering Intelligent Construction and Operation, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China
Dong Xu
Affiliation:
Key Laboratory of Hydrologic-Cycle and Hydrodynamic-System of Ministry of Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, PR China
Xing Zhang
Affiliation:
Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, PR China
*
Corresponding author: Chunning Ji, cnji@tju.edu.cn
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Abstract

Submerged flexible aquatic vegetation exists widely in nature and achieves multiple functions mainly through fluid–structure interactions (FSIs). In this paper, the evolution of large-scale vortices above the vegetation canopy and its effect on flow and vegetation dynamics in a two-dimensional (2-D) laminar flow are investigated using numerical simulations under different bending rigidity $\gamma$ and gap distance d. According to the variation of large-scale vortex size and intensity, the evolution process is divided into four distinct zones in the streamwise direction, namely the ‘developing’ zone, ‘transition’ zone, ‘dissipation’ zone and ‘interaction’ zone, and different evolution sequences are further classified. In the ‘developing’ zone, the size and intensity of the large-scale vortex gradually increase along the array, while they decrease in the ‘dissipation’ zone. The supplement of vegetation oscillating vortices to large-scale vortices is the key to the enhancement of the latter. The most obvious dissipation of large-scale vortices occurs in the ‘transition’ zone, where the position of the large-scale vortex is significantly uplifted. The effects of $\gamma$ and d on the evolution of the large-scale vortex are discussed. In general, the features of vegetation swaying vary synchronously with those of large-scale vortices. The flow above the canopy is dominated by large-scale vortices, and the development of flow characteristics such as time-averaged velocity profile and Reynolds stress are closely related to the evolution of large-scale vortices. The flow inside the canopy, however, is mainly affected by the vortex shed by the vegetation oscillation, which leads to the emergence of negative time-averaged velocity and negative Reynolds stress.

JFM classification

Geophysical and Geological Flows: Shallow water flows

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JFM Papers
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Journal of Fluid Mechanics , Volume 1017 , 25 August 2025 , A2
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© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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