Near-wall structure of a turbulent boundary layer with riblets

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Abstract
A detailed wind tunnel study has been carried out on the near-wall turbulence structure over smooth and riblet wall surfaces under zero pressure gradient. Time-average quantities as ‘well as conditionally sampled profiles were obtained using hotwire/film anemometry, along with a simultaneous flow visualization using the smoke-wire technique and a sheet of laser light. The experimental results indicated a significant change of the structure in the turbulent boundary layer near the riblet surface. The change was confined within a small volume of the flow close to the wall surface. A conceptual model for the sequence of the bursts was then proposed based on an extensive study of the flow visualization, and was supported by the results of conditionally sampled velocity fields. A possible mechanism of turbulent drag reduction by riblets is discussed.