Experiments on drag-reducing surfaces and their optimization with an adjustable geometry

摘要: Previous research has established that surfaces with tiny ribs (riblets) aligned in the streamwise direction can reduce the turbulent wall-shear stress below that of a smooth surface. Typical skin-friction reductions have been found to be about 5%. The results of the present investigation, however, demonstrate a considerable improvement over this value. This improvement is achieved by a systematic experimental optimization which has been guided by theoretical concepts. A key feature of our experiments is the utilization of an oil …