Investigating Passive Drag Reduction Through Nature Inspired Surface Textures

Thornton, Nicholas; Niemiec, Kenneth

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Investigating Passive Drag Reduction Through Nature Inspired Surface Textures

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This project sought to reduce resistive drag forces on complex bodies through the implementation of biologically inspired surface textures. We accomplished this through investigating the effects of riblets on drag forces for flow over an airfoil. Our team conducted wind tunnel experiments and ANSYS Fluent simulations in 2D and 3D to evaluate the effectiveness of these riblets in reducing drag on an airfoil. From this research, we found that our designs were capable of reducing drag forces by about 5% over a Reynolds number interval of 70,000 to 115,000 and up to 13% at the low Reynolds number of 45,000. This led us to recommend their implementation on small or low speed components, as our findings can majorly increase the efficiency of vehicles operating at moderate Reynolds numbers.

This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

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