The Vortex-Induced Vibration (VIV)-Based Passive Flow Sensor for Fluidic Flowmeter: Theoretical and Experimental Contributions

In this article, a novel vortex-induced vibration (VIV)-based passive flow sensor for a fluidic flowmeter using macrofiber composite (MFC) is proposed. Since the flowmeter is partially embedded in the water flow during operation, vortices are induced alternately by the bluff body, subsequently shedding from it, which generates a reciprocating twisting motion of the structure due to the vortex’s impact. All theoretical, experimental, and modeling work were conducted to cross-verify the results. Experiments demonstrate that the vortex shedding frequency is positively correlated with the flow rate under optimal structural dimensions, allowing the flow rate to be measured by the vortex shedding frequency. Moreover, the optimal diameter of the bluff bodies and the width of the lower section were determined. These results indicate that the proposed flowmeter has great applicability and reliability for small-diameter pipes and bidirectional flow rate measurement.