Flow induced vibrations of bluff bodies can lead to severe damage in many applications, such as off-shore
marine structures and tethered bodies. Rotation of bluff bodies can result in huge increases in lift forces, which may promote these vibrations, whereas a nearby free surface may stabilize the vibrations. This proposal aims to discover the mechanisms underpinning the apparently opposing effects of vibration and free surface, individually and jointly, and the excitation of two- and three-dimensional instabilities in the
wakes of two generic bluff bodies: the cylinder and the sphere. The outcomes will be the discovery of new modes of body vibration, wake transitions and means to control fluid-structure interactions.