Benchmark on the aerodynamics of a 5:1 rectangular cylinder: further experimental and LES results

The flow around a rectangular cylinder, having chord-to-depth ratio equal to 5, has been the object of a benchmark (BARC) launched in 2008 (http://​www.​aniv-iawe.​org/​barc/​). The BARC configuration is of practical interest, e.g. in civil engineering, and, in spite of the simple geometry, the related flow dynamics and topology is complex. Indeed, the high-Reynolds-number flow around such a stationary rectangular cylinder is turbulent with flow separation from the upstream corners and unsteady reattachment on the cylinder side. Furthermore, a vortex shedding also occurs from the rear corners and interferes with the leading-edge vortices, according to the mechanism of impinging shear-layer instability (Nakamura et al, J Fluid Mech, 222:437–447, 1991, [1]).