This paper is devoted to the experimental study and theoretical modeling of the coupled wakes of a pair of cylinders placed side by side in a constant flow. We propose here a dynamical system which models the behavior of these two coupled wakes. This model is constituted by two coupled Landau equations whose coefficients are estimated from experimental observations. A stability diagram is analytically and numerically computed. Finally, we present some new experiments which complete previous observations of locked and unlocked wakes.

• Received 27 March 1996

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.77.3122