Suppression of vortex shedding by spinning for low Reynolds number flow over a circular disk at angle of attack*

The stability issues faced by micro air vehicles in gusty winds motivate the study of spinning disks as a potential design for robust flight due to spin stabilization. To this end, we use a three-dimensional immersed boundary method to study how the tip-speed ratio affects the wake instabilities for flow over a circular disk at angle of attack for Reynolds number of O(10²). Spin has a stabilizing effect on the flow, decreasing the vortex shedding amplitude and, for sufficiently high tip-speed ratio, suppressing it completely to give a steady wake. The resulting flow structures are significantly changed, with complex flows in the recirculation bubble and strengthened tip vortices.