Transitional and Near-Wall Turbulence Dynamics over Rib-Roughened Surfaces

TL;DR

This paper uses LES to study how longitudinal triangular riblets affect the laminar-to-turbulent transition and drag in boundary layer flows, revealing that smaller riblets can delay transition and reduce drag.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the effects of riblet geometry and spacing on transition delay and drag reduction using detailed LES simulations.

Findings

Smaller riblets delay transition by up to 47%.

Riblet spacing influences transition timing and drag.

Riblets reduce pressure loss and velocity fluctuations.

Abstract

This study utilizes Large Eddy Simulation (LES) to investigate the impact of longitudinal triangular riblets on the laminar-to-turbulent transition in boundary layer flow. Five cases are examined: one involving a flat plate and four with ribbed plates. Among the ribbed cases, three use a riblet aspect ratio of two, whereas one has an aspect ratio of one. Arrays of longitudinal triangular riblets are positioned on a flat plate, and the transition to turbulence is initiated by controlled excitation of a Tollmien-Schlichting (TS) wave imposed on a Blasius velocity profile in a stable region. The longitudinal triangular riblets attenuate the TS wave, leading to a lower growth rate of turbulence. For higher riblet height ($h$) and width ($w$), with inner-scaled dimensions $h^+ = 25$, $w^+ = S^+ = 50$ (where $S$ is the spacing between two riblets), an early transition is triggered by high-frequency disturbances generated at the leading edge of the roughness elements. However, increasing riblet spacing to $S^+ = 75$ delays the transition by 17.5 percent. Both cases exhibited increased drag compared to the flat plate. For $h^+ = 12.5$ and $w^+ = S^+ = 25$, transition was delayed by 37 percent, with a modest overall drag reduction of 8.8 percent. The most significant result from the considered cases, $h^+ = w^+ = S^+ = 12.5$, showed a 47 percent delay in transition and a 13.69 percent reduction in overall drag. Smaller riblets cause minimal disturbance at the leading edge of roughness, resulting in a transition mechanism similar to a flat plate, while also reducing pressure loss, secondary flows, and velocity fluctuations.