Streamwise oscillations of a circular cylinder in a steady uniform flow are investigated experimentally using a technique of high-image-density particle image velocimetry, in conjunction with instantaneous force measurements. This approach allows insight into the relationship between the loading and the patterns of vorticity and streamline topology in the near wake.

In analogy with the classical locked-on state arising from transverse oscillations of a cylinder in uniform flow, it is possible to attain either locked-on or quasi-locked-on states due to streamwise oscillations. In these cases, however, the repetitive signature of the transverse force is not sinusoidal; rather, it is strongly modulated and the corresponding spectra can exhibit several sharply defined peaks. The predominant peak can vary over a remarkably wide range, extending from the subharmonic to the third harmonic of the cylinder oscillation frequency; for certain locked-on states of the transverse force signature, the spectral peak at the cylinder oscillation frequency is actually suppressed. Corresponding instantaneous traces and spectra of the in-line force simply show dominance of the spectral peak at the cylinder oscillation frequency. Further interpretation of the loading is provided in terms of Lissajous patterns of the transverse and in-line force coefficients.

All of these features are related to the instantaneous patterns of vortex formation in the near wake. During a typical cycle of the cylinder oscillation, these patterns can be divided into two broad categories: Kármán-like shedding; and a nearly ‘frozen’ array of shed vortices. The order of occurrence of these basic patterns during an oscillation cycle dictates the instantaneous signatures and time-averaged spectra of the transverse force.