Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
8. Uluslararası Uludağ Bilimsel Araştırmalar Kongresi, Bursa, Türkiye, 21 - 22 Şubat 2026, ss.1-10, (Tam Metin Bildiri)
Backward-Facing
Step flow is an important fluid dynamics phenomenon that consists of flow
separation and reattachment that affect aerodynamic performance, aerodynamic
loading and mechanical efficiency in different applications. Although there are
wide range of studies available regarding the backwards-facing-step in the
literature, external BFS flow has not been analyzed in great detail. In this
study, the effectiveness of a horizontal splitter plate (beam) is numerically
analyzed for an external BFS geometry aiming to shorten the reattachment length
and control the flow separation.
By
utilizing a commercial finite element solver, two-dimensional simulations were
generated for both laminar and turbulent flow regimes. By adjusting the
geometry presented in an experimental baseline study, the computational domain
of our analysis is generated to simulate an external BFS flow. Through the
implementation of various flow velocities and beam lengths, the effects of the
splitter plate on flow behaviour in different conditions are analyzed in the
study. For the turbulent flow regime, the Reynolds-Averaged-Navier-Stokes
(RANS) model is used.
The
flow behaviour changes markedly with Reynolds number. The baseline reattachment
length decreases from 
at 
to approximately 5.0 for 
,
accompanied by a substantial increase in base pressure, indicating the
development of a turbulent separated shear layer. While beam insertion has a negligible
influence in the laminar regime, the longest beam configuration (
)
reduces both the reattachment length and base pressure by approximately 13–14%
in the turbulent cases. This close agreement suggests that the modification of
base pressure is primarily linked to the shortening of the recirculation
region.