What Is the Strouhal Vortex Shedding Aeolian Tone Calculator?
An Aeolian tone is the acoustic noise produced by the periodic shedding of vortices from opposite sides of a cylinder into a Von Kármán vortex street.
Named after Aeolus, the Greek ruler of the winds, it creates the singing hum of overhead power lines and antenna wires.
How Does the Strouhal Vortex Shedding Aeolian Tone Calculator Work?
Each shed vortex exerts an alternating aerodynamic dipole lift force on the cylinder.
The frequency scales directly with wind velocity and inversely with cable diameter: fs = St · U / D.
Strouhal Vortex Shedding Aeolian Tone Calculator Formula & Variables
The core mathematical equation utilized by this calculator is expressed as:
Strouhal number correlation for circular cylinder Kármán vortex shedding.
How to Use the Strouhal Vortex Shedding Aeolian Tone Calculator
- Input wind velocity, cylinder diameter, and viscosity.
- Review shedding frequency in Hz, acoustic wavelength, and audibility category.
Step-by-Step Example Calculation
Singing Telephone Wire in 15 m/s Wind
Input Values:
Understanding Your Result
Thinner cables emit high-pitched musical tones, while large industrial chimneys shed low infrasonic pulses.
Factors That Affect the Result
- For circular cylinders in subcritical Reynolds numbers (300 < Re < 10⁵), St remains nearly constant at ~0.20–0.21.
When Should You Use This Calculator?
- Aeroacoustic design of car side mirrors, architectural cable noise mitigation, and power transmission line vibration sizing.
Assumptions & Limitations
- Applies to smooth, isolated circular cylinders in uniform perpendicular crossflow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Calculation Accuracy & Reference Note
Standard aeroacoustic empirical correlation matching experimental wind tunnel measurements.