Flow around a 2D cylinder

1 Laplaces equation in polars

Consider Laplaces equation in polars

r
2
+
1
r

r
+
1
r
2

2
= 0. (1)
Looking for separable solutions of the form (r, ) = R(r)H() we nd
r
2
R
_
R

+
1
r
R

_
=
H

H
=
2
. (2)
Choosing the separation constant negative anticipates solutions for H() that need to be peri-
odic. Solving H

+
2
H = 0 gives
H() = Acos +Bsin . (3)
When = 0 solving R

+
1
r
R

2
r
2
R = 0 gives
R(r) = a r

+b r

(4)
If we require (r, ) to be continuous
1
in ; that is, (r, ) = (r, + 2n), then = n (an
integer). The general 2-periodic solution of (1) is
(r, ) =

n=1
_
a
n
r
n
+b
n
r
n
_
(A
n
cos n +B
n
sin n) . (5)
2 Flow around a cylinder
Consider an incompressible irrotational 2D uid with velocity vector u. Incompressibility implies
that div u = 0 and irrotationality (no vorticity) implies that curl u = 0.
(i) The div u = 0 condition means that a stream function (x, y) exists such that
u = (
y
,
x
) = i
y
j
x
.
Thus curl u = 0 means that

i j k

x

y

z

y

x
0

= 0
Thus we have Laplaces equation for the stream function

xx
+
yy
= 0

2

r
2
+
1
r

r
+
1
r
2

2
= 0. (6)
(ii) The alternative way, using the potential, starts from curl u = 0. This means that a potential
function exists such that u = = i
x
+ j
y
. From div u = 0, we have Laplaces equation

2
=
xx
+
yy
= 0 which is also (1) in polar co-ordinates.
1
The case with = 0 where H() =

A +

B and R(r) = a ln r +

b is not 2-periodic in .
1
Thus we want to solve (6) under the circumstance where the uid, of constant horizontal speed
U at innity, ows past a solid cylinder of radius a centred at the origin. The fact that no uid
can cross the surface of the cylinder translates into the boundary condition

r=a
= 0. (7)
Since the ow at r = is horizontal we have u = Ui + 0j there, which means that
= Uy = Ur sin at r = . (8)
We want to solve Laplaces equation (6) in the innite domain around the cylinder of radius a
with prescribed BCs (7) and (8). Separating the n = 1 term from the rest of the innite sum in
(5) we have
(r, ) =
_
a
1
r +b
1
r
1
_
(A
1
cos +B
1
sin )
+

n=2
_
a
n
r
n
+b
n
r
n
_
(A
n
cos n +B
n
sin n) (9)
Applying the BC in (8) we nd that
a
1
B
1
= U A
1
= 0 (10)
and all coecients a
n
= b
n
= 0 for n 2. This leaves us with
= U
_
r +
b
1
a
1
1
r
_
sin . (11)
Finally applying the BC (7) at r = a we nd b
1
/a
1
= a
2
giving the stream function as
= U
_
r
a
2
r
_
sin . (12)
2