Phase-Synchronized Fluidic Oscillator Pair

Abstract

The relative phase of oscillating jets from a pair of fluidic oscillators was synchronized in this work. The means for this synchronization was mutual interaction through a shared feedback channel between the two oscillators. Flow visualization and hot-wire measurements indicated a strong correlation and phase synchronization between the two oscillators. A numerical analysis offered better understanding of the internal flow physics that led to the synchronization phenomenon. A portion of the output jet from one fluidic oscillator was redirected and crossed over into the adjacent oscillator, leading to momentum transfer between the two oscillators. A portion of this cross-oscillator flow was directed into the shared feedback channel and constituted the main feedback flow. In this process, one of the shared feedback channel outlets was blocked by a vortex, allowing only one oscillator to receive feedback flow. The primary mechanism for in-phase synchronization was the cross-oscillator flow, which was divided into phase-modulated momentum injection to the primary jet and modulated flow input to the shared channel feedback channel.