Turbulent boundary layer flow over regularly and irregularly arranged truncated cone surfaces

Aiming to study the rough-wall turbulent boundary layer structure over differently arranged roughness elements, an experimental study was conducted on flows with regular and random roughness. Varying planform densities of truncated cone roughness elements in a square staggered pattern were investigated. The same planform densities were also investigated in random arrangements. Velocity statistics were measured via two-component laser Doppler velocimetry and stereoscopic particle image velocimetry. Friction velocity, thickness, roughness length and zero-plane displacement, determined from spatially averaged flow statistics, showed only minor differences between the regular and random arrangements at the same density. Recent a priori morphometric and statistical drag prediction methods were evaluated against experimentally determined roughness length. Observed differences between regular and random surface flow parameters were due to the presence of secondary flows which manifest as high-momentum pathways and low-momentum pathways in the streamwise velocity. Contrary to expectation, these secondary flows were present over the random surfaces and not discernible over the regular surfaces. Previously identified streamwise-coherent spanwise roughness heterogeneity does not seem to be present, suggesting that such roughness heterogeneity is not necessary to sustain secondary flows. Evidence suggests that the observed secondary flows were initiated at the front edge of the roughness and sustained over irregular roughness. Due to the secondary flows, local turbulent boundary layer profiles do not scale with local wall shear stress but appear to scale with local turbulent shear stress above the roughness canopy. Additionally, quadrant analysis shows distinct changes in the populations of ejection and sweep events.

Control of laminar breakdown in a supersonic boundary layer employing streaks

In this study direct numerical simulations are employed to investigate the effects of various parameters on the laminar-flow-control capabilities of narrowly spaced streaks in a supersonic boundary layer at Mach $2.0$ . Previous work by Sharma et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 873, 2019, pp. 1072–1089) has found these streak modes, excited by a spanwise blowing-and-suction strip, to be highly effective at delaying pure oblique-type breakdown. In the present work it is shown that spectrum-enriching subharmonic modes, relevant with increasing running-length Reynolds number, do not destroy the controlling mechanism, and also a complex breakdown scenario, triggered by a multi-frequency point source, is found to be effectively controlled. Moreover, the control-streak excitation by roughness elements is compared in detail with the blowing-and-suction method, revealing relevant differing features.

Static roughness element effects on protuberance full-span wing at micro aerial vehicle application

Although the tubercle wings provide good maneuverability at post-stall conditions, the aerodynamic performance at pre-stall angles is threatened by forming a laminar separation bubble at the trough section of the tubercle wing; consequently, the flight endurance and range are reduced. In the present study, the idea of passive flow control is introduced by using the distribution of static roughness elements on a full-span wing with a sinusoidal leading edge. Initially, the effect of roughness element length, height, and its location are studied at a pre-stall angle (16-degree). Their effect on the laminar separation bubble and vortex shedding formed behind the wing are also investigated. The Reynolds number is assumed to be equal to [Formula: see text] which is in the range of critical Reynolds number and matches to the micro aerial vehicles application. An improved hybrid model, improved delay detached eddy simulation IDDES, has been used to model the flow turbulence structure. In the extended transition region at low Reynolds numbers, the roughness bypassed the instability. Consequently, roughening the surface of the aerofoil increased the boundary layer’s flow momentum, making it more resistible to adverse pressure gradients. By suppressing the bubble, the static roughness element led to pre-stall flow control, which saw an increase in lift coefficient, [Formula: see text], and a decrease in drag coefficient, [Formula: see text]. The results have been demonstrated that the aerodynamic performance, [Formula: see text], has been improved approximately 22.7%, 38%, and 45% for [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text], respectively. The optimal arrangement of static roughness elements could decline the size of the vortices and strengthen the cores associated with them. This claim can be interpreted with the vortex shedding frequency.

Infrared thermography of hypersonic boundary layer transition induced by isolated roughness elements

Roughness element induced hypersonic boundary layer transition on a flat plate is investigated using infrared thermography at Ma = 5 and 6 flow condition. Surface Stanton number is acquired to analyze the effect of roughness element shape and height on the transition process. The correlation between the vortex structure induced by roughness element and the wall heat streaks is established. The results indicate that higher roughness element would induce stronger streamwise heat flux streaks, lead to transition advance in streamwise centerline and increase the width of spanwise wake. Moreover, for low roughness element, the effect of the shape is not obvious, and the height plays a leading role in the transition; for tall roughness element, the effect on accelerating transition for the diamond roughness element is the best, the square is the worst, and the shape plays a leading role in the transition.

Transition in an infinite swept-wing boundary layer subject to surface roughness and free-stream turbulence

The instability of an incompressible boundary-layer flow over an infinite swept wing in the presence of disc-type roughness elements and free-stream turbulence (FST) has been investigated by means of direct numerical simulations. Our study corresponds to the experiments by Örlü et al. (Tech. Rep., KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 2021, http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-291874). Here, different dimensions of the roughness elements and levels of FST have been considered. The aim of the present work is to investigate the experimentally observed sensitivity of the transition to the FST intensity. In the absence of FST, flow behind the roughness elements with a height above a certain value immediately undergoes transition to turbulence. Impulse–response analyses of the steady flow have been performed to identify the mechanism behind the observed flow instability. For subcritical roughness, the generated wave packet experiences a weak transient growth behind the roughness and then its amplitude decays as it is advected out of the computational domain. In the supercritical case, in which the flow transitions to turbulence, flow as expected exhibits an absolute instability. The presence of FST is found to have a significant impact on the transition behind the roughness, in particular in the case of a subcritical roughness height. For a height corresponding to a roughness Reynolds number $Re_{hh}=461$ , in the absence of FST the flow reaches a steady laminar state, while a very low FST intensity of $Tu =0.03\,\%$ causes the appearance of turbulence spots in the wake of the roughness. These randomly generated spots are advected out of the computational domain. For a higher FST level of $Tu=0.3\,\%$ , a turbulent wake is clearly visible behind the element, similar to that for the globally unstable case. The presented results confirm the experimental observations and explain the mechanisms behind the observed laminar–turbulent transition and its sensitivity to FST.

Boundary layer dynamics and bottom friction in combined wave–current flows over large roughness elements

In the coastal ocean, interactions of waves and currents with large roughness elements, similar in size to wave orbital excursions, generate drag and dissipate energy. These boundary layer dynamics differ significantly from well-studied small-scale roughness. To address this problem, we derived spatially and phase-averaged momentum equations for combined wave–current flows over rough bottoms, including the canopy layer containing obstacles. These equations were decomposed into steady and oscillatory parts to investigate the effects of waves on currents, and currents on waves. We applied this framework to analyse large-eddy simulations of combined oscillatory and steady flows over hemisphere arrays (diameter $D$ ), in which current ( $U_c$ ), wave velocity ( $U_w$ ) and period ( $T$ ) were varied. In the steady momentum budget, waves increase drag on the current, and this is balanced by the total stress at the canopy top. Dispersive stresses from oscillatory flow around obstacles are increasingly important as $U_w/U_c$ increases. In the oscillatory momentum budget, acceleration in the canopy is balanced by pressure gradient, added-mass and form drag forces; stress gradients are small compared to other terms. Form drag is increasingly important as the Keulegan–Carpenter number $KC=U_wT/D$ and $U_c/U_w$ increase. Decomposing the drag term illustrates that a quadratic relationship predicts the observed dependences of steady and oscillatory drag on $U_c/U_w$ and $KC$ . For large roughness elements, bottom friction is well represented by a friction factor ( $f_w$ ) defined using combined wave and current velocities in the canopy layer, which is proportional to drag coefficient and frontal area per unit plan area, and increases with $KC$ and $U_c/U_w$ .

Thermo-Hydraulic Characteristics of Micro-Scale Surface Roughness Topology of Additively Manufactured Surface Model: Modal Decomposition Perspective

As a consequence of rapid development of additive manufacturing (3D printing) methods, the academic/industrial demand has been continuously increasing. One field of application is the manufacturing of heat exchanging devices using this promising method. In this regard, understanding the underlying mechanisms from a thermo-hydraulic viewpoint becomes important. Therefore, in this study, scale-resolving large eddy simulation (LES) is applied to reveal the flow details in combination with a model of roughness topology occurring in additive manufacturing. To process the transient LES results, proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) is used to extract the coherent flow structures, and the extended POD is used to rank the flow modes based on thermal importance. The main aim of the present work is to go beyond the conventionally applied methodologies used for the evaluation of surface roughness, i.e., averaged numerical study or experimental overall performance evaluation of the flow/thermal response of additively manufactured surfaces in heat exchangers. This is necessary to reveal the underlying flow mechanisms hidden in the conventional studies. In this study, the behavior of the flow over the micro-scale surface roughness model and its effects on heat transfer are studied by assuming cone-shaped roughness elements with regular placement as the dominant surface roughness structures. The major discussions reveal the footprint of flow mechanisms on the heat transfer coefficient spatial modes on the rough surface. Moreover, comparative study on the flow/thermal behavior at different levels of roughness heights shows the key role of the height-to-base-diameter ratio of the roughness elements in thermal performance.

Networked configurations as an emergent property of transverse aeolian ridges on Mars

Transverse aeolian ridges – enigmatic Martian features without a proven terrestrial analog – are increasingly important to our understanding of Martian surface processes. However, it is not well understood how the relationships between different ridges evolve. Here we present a hypothesis for the development of complex hexagonal networks from simple linear forms by analyzing HiRISE images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. We identify variable morphologies which show the presence of secondary ridges, feathered transverse aeolian ridges and both rectangular and hexagonal networks. We propose that the formation of secondary ridges and the reactivation of primary ridge crests produces sinuous networks which then progress from rectangular cells towards eventual hexagonal cells. This morphological progression may be explained by the ridges acting as roughness elements due to their increased spatial density which would drive a transition from two-dimensional bedforms under three-dimensional flow conditions, to three-dimensional bedforms under two-dimensional flow conditions.