Laminar Flow Control using an Optimised Forward-Facing Step - An Experimental Approach

Abstract

With the rapid increase of global aviation emissions, biomimetics has proven to be a promising avenue to achieve greener aviation. This paper aims to explore the influence of the shark skin denticle inspired two-dimensional Forward-Facing Steps (FFS) on boundary-layer transition delay and drag reduction. Previous computation simulations indicate that the presence of FFS inside the laminar boundary layer can damp disturbances and lead to transition delay and drag reduction. The purpose of this paper is to find the optimal configuration of the FFS through experimental tests and correlate results to previously concluded simulations. Conditional results indicate that the presence of the FFS within the laminar boundary layer is effective in transition delay and drag reduction.