Optimal external forces of the lock-in phenomena for flow past an inclined plate in uniform flow.

We theoretically studied the optimal control, frequency lock-in, and phase lock-in phenomena due to the spatially localized periodic forcing in flow past an inclined plate. Although frequency lock-in is evident in many fluid phenomena, especially fluid-structure interactions, not many researchers have investigated it using a theoretical approach based on flow details. We obtained detailed information on the lock-in phenomena to external periodic forcing using phase reduction theory, a mathematical method for extracting the dynamics near the limit cycle. Furthermore, the optimal forces applied to the velocity field were determined under the condition of the minimum forcing energy and maximum lock-in range. The study of uniform periodic forces applied within spatially confined regions led to the conclusion that the effective lock-in position, which includes both the upstream and downstream areas of the plate, depends on the principal frequency of the force. The frequency lock-in range of these forces was analyzed and compared with theoretical predictions.