The interaction among two spheres in tandem formation are studied for a Reynolds number of 300 using both steady and pulsating inflow conditions. The purpose is to further investigate the force characteristics as well as the shedding patterns of the two spheres as the separation distance is changed from 1.5 to 12. sphere diameters. The method used for the simulations is the volume of solid (VOS) method, an approach based on the volume of fluid (VOF) method. Comparisons with other computational methods have shown VOS to accurately resolve the flow field around solid spheres. The results show that the separation distance plays a significant role in changing the flow patterns and shedding frequencies at moderate separation distances, whereas effect on drag is observed even at a separation distance of 12 diameters. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.