Abstract
Bio-inspired studies in recent years have led to the development of micro-textured surfaces called Riblets. Shark’s skin inspires these microstructured surfaces, and their interaction with the overlying flow influences the surface drag properties. Drag reduction is achieved by this passive method by altering the transverse movement of the fluid within the boundary layer. In this work, numerical modeling investigates the effect of sawtooth riblets over a flat plate in an external flow condition. This helps in analyzing riblet’s effectiveness for developing boundary layer. The aim is to quantify the effect of skin friction on this textured surface compared to a smooth wall and to study the underlying flow physics. Parametric studies are done to study the impact of flow and geometric parameters on drag and flow behavior. The velocity and vorticity are attributed to the reduction in the advection of the flow near the wall. The result indicates that the riblet tip imparts a movement to the streamwise longitudinal vortices away from the wall, thus alleviating Reynolds stress and weakening turbulence flow characteristics in the near-wall region. The study would help optimize the riblet design based on the flow conditions. The optimum result is found at the s+ range of 15–20, tip angle (θ) as 30° with the s/h ratio as two, independent of the Reynolds number range and velocity studied. A maximum drag reduction of 9.46% is achieved. Riblets could significantly reduce the drag produced, thus improving the surface performance characteristics and reducing power loss.
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Sharma, V., Dutta, S. Investigation of Bio-inspired Sawtooth Riblets for Boundary Layer Flow Over a Flat Surface. Iran J Sci Technol Trans Mech Eng 47, 1417–1435 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40997-023-00612-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40997-023-00612-6