The effect of longitudinal microstriations and their profiles on the drag of flat plates

Author(s):  
K Parker ◽  
A T Sayers

The use of surface modifications as a means of reducing viscous drag on a body has potential aerodynamic and hydrodynamic applications. V-grooves of specific dimensions are machined in a longitudinal direction onto the surface of a smooth plate and the resulting effect on the drag force of the plate is observed. Experiments show that V-grooves (riblets) could reduce turbulent skin friction drag by up to 7 per cent, depending on the size of the groove. The drag-reducing performance of riblets with aspect ratios, h/s, of 0.22 and 1 are examined. A boundary layer analysis of the turbulent flow characteristics over the smooth surface and the riblet surfaces indicated an increase in the laminar sublayer thickness and local Reynolds number while reducing the boundary layer thickness for the ribbed surfaces. A maximum drag reduction of 6.83 per cent was recorded for the surface covered with the symmetric riblet, at a Reynolds number of 117 101. It is felt that riblets hamper the momentum and turbulent energy exchange from regions of high velocity to lower-velocity regions. Riblets impede the cross-flow of stream-wise vortices that prevail in the viscous sublayer of a turbulent boundary layer. By suppressing these streamwise vortices, turbulent mixing and hence turbulent shear stress are reduced. Results obtained agree with results suggested from research elsewhere.

2000 ◽  
Vol 122 (3) ◽  
pp. 522-532 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Lee ◽  
S.-H. Kang

Transition characteristics of a boundary layer on a NACA0012 airfoil are investigated by measuring unsteady velocity using hot wire anemometry. The airfoil is installed in the incoming wake generated by an airfoil aligned in tandem with zero angle of attack. Reynolds number based on the airfoil chord varies from 2.0×105 to 6.0×105; distance between two airfoils varies from 0.25 to 1.0 of the chord length. To measure skin friction coefficient identifying the transition onset and completion, an extended wall law is devised to accommodate transitional flows with pressure gradient and nonuniform inflows. Variations of the skin friction are quite similar to that of the flat plate boundary layer in the uniform turbulent inflow of high intensity. Measured velocity profiles are coincident with families generated by the modified wall law in the range up to y+=40. Turbulence intensity of the incoming wake shifts the onset location of transition upstream. The transitional region becomes longer as the airfoils approach one another and the Reynolds number increases. The mean velocity profile gradually varies from a laminar to logarithmic one during the transition. The maximum values of rms velocity fluctuations are located near y+=15-20. A strong positive skewness of velocity fluctuation is observed at the onset of transition and the overall rms level of velocity fluctuation reaches 3.0–3.5 in wall units. The database obtained will be useful in developing and evaluating turbulence models and computational schemes for transitional boundary layer. [S0098-2202(00)01603-5]


Author(s):  
Christoph Lietmeyer ◽  
Karsten Oehlert ◽  
Joerg R. Seume

During the last decades, riblets have shown a potential for viscous drag reduction in turbulent boundary layers. Several investigations and measurements of skin-friction in the boundary layer over flat plates and on turbomachinery type blades with ideal riblet geometry have been reported in the literature. The question where riblets must be applied on the surface of a compressor blade is still not sufficiently answered. In a first step, the profile loss reduction by ideal triangular riblets with a trapezoidal groove and a constant geometry along the surface on the suction and pressure side of a compressor blade is investigated. The results show a higher potential on the profile loss reduction by riblets on the suction side. In a second step, the effect of laser-structured ribs on the laminar separation bubble and the influence of these structures on the laminar boundary layer near the leading edge are investigated. After clarifying the best choices where riblets should be applied on the blade surface, a strategy for locally adapted riblets is presented. The suction side of a compressor blade is laser-structured with a segmented riblet-like structure with a constant geometry in each segment. The measured profile loss reduction shows the increasing effect on the profile loss reduction of this locally adapted structure compared to a constant riblet-geometry along the surface. Furthermore, the particle deposition on a riblet-structured compressor blade is investigated and compared to the particle deposition on a smooth surface. Results show a primary particle deposition on the riblet tips followed by an agglomeration. The particle deposition on the smooth surface is stochastic.


Author(s):  
Ralph J. Volino ◽  
Terrence W. Simon

A technique called “octant analysis” was used to examine the eddy structure of turbulent and transitional heated boundary layers on flat and curved surfaces. The intent was to identify important physical processes that play a role in boundary layer transition on flat and concave surfaces. Octant processing involves the partitioning of flow signals into octants based on the instantaneous signs of the fluctuating temperature, t′; streamwise velocity, u′; and cross-stream velocity, v′. Each octant is associated with a particular eddy motion. For example, u′<0, v′>0, t′>0 is associated with an ejection or “burst” of warm fluid away from a heated wall. Within each octant, the contribution to various quantities of interest (such as the turbulent shear stress, −u′v′, or the turbulent heat flux, v′t′) can be computed. By comparing and contrasting the relative contributions from each octant, the importance of particular types of motion can be determined. If the data within each octant is further segregated based on the magnitudes of the fluctuating components so that minor events are eliminated, the relative importance of particular types of motion to the events that are important can also be discussed. In fully-developed, turbulent boundary layers along flat plates, trends previously reported in the literature were confirmed. A fundamental difference was observed in the octant distribution between the transitional and fully-turbulent boundary layers, however, showing incomplete mixing and a lesser importance of small scales in the transitional boundary layer. Such observations were true on both flat and concave walls. The differences are attributed to incomplete development of the turbulent kinetic energy cascade in transitional flows. The findings have potential application to modelling, suggesting the utility of incorporating multiple length scales in transition models.


Micromachines ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 30
Author(s):  
Haiwang Li ◽  
Yujia Li ◽  
Binghuan Huang ◽  
Tiantong Xu

We conducted systematic numerical investigations of the flow characteristics within the entrance region of rectangular microchannels. The effects of the geometrical aspect ratio and roughness on entrance lengths were analyzed. The incompressible laminar Navier–Stokes equations were solved using finite volume method (FVM). In the simulation, hydraulic diameters ( D h ) ranging from 50 to 200 µm were studied, and aspect ratios of 1, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, and 2 were considered as well. The working fluid was set as water, and the Reynolds number ranged from 0.5 to 100. The results showed a good agreement with the conducted experiment. Correlations are proposed to predict the entrance lengths of microchannels with respect to different aspect ratios. Compared with other correlations, these new correlations are more reliable because a more practical inlet condition was considered in our investigations. Instead of considering the influence of the width and height of the microchannels, in our investigation we proved that the critical role is played by the aspect ratio, representing the combination of the aforementioned parameters. Furthermore, the existence of rough elements obviously shortens the entrance region, and this effect became more pronounced with increasing relative roughness and Reynolds number. A similar effect could be seen by shortening the roughness spacing. An asymmetric distribution of rough elements decreased the entrance length compared with a symmetric distribution, which can be extrapolated to other irregularly distributed forms.


2017 ◽  
Vol 379 ◽  
pp. 48-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheng Hsiung Kuo ◽  
Hwa Wei Lin ◽  
Chih Tao Chai ◽  
Fred Cheng

Alterations of boundary layer separation along the upper-rear surface of a baseline and slit cylinder and the formation of a vortex in the near-wake are investigated by particle image velocimetry (PIV) at Reynolds number 1000. The slit ratio (S/D) is 0.3. The phase-lock flow structures are referred to the time-dependent volume flux at the slit exit and are achieved by the modified phase-averaged technique. The alterations and the evolution of boundary-layer flow along the upper-rear surface are demonstrated by the phase-lock flow structures. It is found that the alternate blowing and suction at the slit exit serves as a perturbation to the boundary layer near the shoulder of the slit cylinder leading to a significant delay of flow separation and the flow reattachment of boundary-layer flow along the upper-rear surface of the cylinder. After perturbation, the vortex street behind a slit cylinder is more organized and stronger than that behind a baseline cylinder at Reynolds number 1000.


Author(s):  
Kalyanjit Ghosh ◽  
R. J. Goldstein

The effects of an opposing (upstream-moving) wall-shear on a two-dimensional turbulent boundary layer are investigated. The shear at the boundary is imparted by a moving belt, flush with the wall. Boundary layer measurements are reported for four surface-to-freestream velocity ratios (0, −0.38, −0.51, −0.63) with the Reynolds number (based on the momentum thickness) between 922 and 1951. Velocity profiles downstream of the moving surface show an increased velocity deficit near the wall, which is more pronounced at higher (negative) belt velocity. Streamwise turbulence values downstream of the belt show the growth of a second peak in the logarithmic region of the boundary layer in addition to the normally-observed peak in the buffer region. This suggests the presence of larger length-scale turbulent eddies at locations away from the wall in the boundary layer. Spectral measurements indicate that the turbulent energy content is distributed over a wide portion of the logarithmic region. Mass transfer measurements using naphthalene sublimation provide the variation of Stanton with Reynolds number on the plate downstream of the moving belt. It shows little difference from the stationary belt case, which suggests that increased wall turbulence is balanced by an increase in the boundary layer thickness.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianlong Chang ◽  
Xudong Shao ◽  
Xiao Hu ◽  
Shuangbiao Zhang

The jet in crossflow at very low Reynolds number (Re=100) with and without block is performed by means of large eddy simulation for the jet-to-crossflow velocity ratios (r) ranging from 1 to 3, and the corresponding flow characteristics are compared. The results show that the time-averaged particle trajectories of the jet are slightly changed if a block is presented, and the mixed vortices are weakened. The existence of the block also can accelerate the formation of stable counter-rotating vortex pair. At lower velocity ratio (r=1), the block has little effect on the jet in crossflow with a symmetrically positive and negative kidney shaped vortices. As the velocity ratio increases, the effect of block not only can generate an asymmetry of positive and negative kidney shaped vortices, but also it can reinforce the interaction between the positive and negative vortices in the jet in crossflow. The effect of block on the temperature field is also analyzed in detail.


1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. R. Souza Mendes ◽  
R. L. Thompson ◽  
A. O. Nieckele

Abstract An important aspect while designing an “R2 z = constant” convergent channel as an extensional rheometer is the appropriate choice of the geometrical parameters and of the Reynolds number range of operation. The higher is the Reynolds number value, the thinner will be the boundary layer where the undesirable no-slip effect is confined, as discussed in the literature. However, if the Reynolds number, Re, is too large, then shear-related pressure losses become important, which is also undesirable in rheometry. Therefore, one design task is to find a range of Re within which the boundary layer is thin enough, and the velocity field in most of the domain is reasonably close to the desired kinematics. In this work we obtained numerical solutions for the flow of Newtonian and viscoelastic fluids through a convergent channel, for representative ranges of Re, dimensionless channel length, L, and dimensionless axial coordinate of inlet section, z0. For all cases, we determined fields of flow type, where regions of shear and of extension can be visualized. Among other findings, it is shown that, depending on the geometrical and flow characteristics, most of the mechanical energy dissipated can be due to shear effects, so that the extensional viscosity cannot be determined via pressure drop measurements.


2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Robin Hirschi

Abstract Research over the past 40 years indicates that coherent motions within the turbulent boundary layer account for disproportionate contributions to momentum transport (Robinson, 1991). To better understand these motions, low-Reynolds number turbulent boundary layer experiments were conducted to investigate the instantaneous velocity and vorticity fields associated with near-wall coherent motion interactions. The present study identifies and explores the most prevalent flow characteristics associated with the vertical transport of injected passive marker from the viscous sublayer.


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