Chaotic Vortex-Induced Vibrations of Rigid Cylinders with Nonlinear Snapping Support

Vortex-Induced Vibration (VIV) is a complex fluid–structure interaction in offshore structures. Traditionally, this phenomenon is considered periodic; however, many of its signals show chaotic behavior. The basic model already employed by other researchers is a rigid circular cylinder with linear springs and dampers. In this work, nonlinear snapping support is used to model nonlinearity in the system. To numerically simulate the flow, Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations for two-dimensional incompressible unsteady flows are applied. The degree of nonlinearity of the system can be changed by manipulating [Formula: see text], which is one of the geometric properties of the spring and takes values between 0 and 1. The 0–1 test, Poincaré section, and Fast Fourier Transform are used to analyze the cylinder and lift force behavior. Also, the Hilbert transform is applied to the signals, and the phase shift between displacement and lift force is obtained. The results show that the system behavior consists of branches: branch I and branch II. The large amplitudes occur in branch II. It is found that chaos emerges at the beginning of branch II, regardless of the value of [Formula: see text]. By raising the [Formula: see text] value, the span of branch II becomes more expansive, and its first point is placed at lower reduced velocities. Also, the wake dynamics becomes more regular at the end of branch I and more irregular at the beginning of branch II with the increase in [Formula: see text]. When the cylinder displacement signal is chaotic, the lift force behavior is also chaotic, but not vice versa.