RANS simulation of incompressible flow around bridge sections

The goal of the present research work was the simulation of low Mach number incompressible flows around bluff bodies using TAU code instead of usual commercial codes. Moreover the possibility of using 2D-Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes Simulations (RANS) instead of the much more cumbersome 3D-Large Eddy Simulations (LES), which are often considered the only reasonable approach, was investigated with first encouraging results. In order to simulate in the near future complex geometries such as bridge decks, it seamed reasonable to start with the simulation of simpler bluff bodies like rectangular cylinders. In particular a square cylinder and a rectangular cylinder with a chord-to-thickness ratio of 5.0 were chosen as first study cases, since a wide range of reliable experimental results are available in literature for comparison.