Ranjan Kushwaha | Searcharxiv

arXiv2026

Secondary Flows and Near-Wall Turbulence in Channel Flow with Longitudinal Ribs

This study employs the Large Eddy Simulation (LES) to investigate secondary flows and near-wall turbulence induced by two types of surface-mounted longitudinal ribs, namely rectangular and triangular, in a channel flow. The friction Reynolds number, based on friction velocity and channel height H, is set at 220. The rib aspect ratio W/h, where W and h represent the width and height of the rib, is 2, and the rib spacing, S is 0.6H. The results indicate formation of two counter-rotating vortices between the adjacent ribs for both the cases considered. The roughness function is higher with the rectangular rib as compared to that of the triangular rib. At the location of the mid-plane on the rectangular ribs, the wall shear stress is relatively lower as compared to that of the location of mid-plane between the ribs. Conversely, for the case of triangular rib, the opposite pattern is observed. Normal Reynolds stress exhibits strong anisotropic behaviour near the wall for both the cases, overlapping above 0.4H. Between 0.4H and 0.8H, the variation in normal Reynolds stresses is linear. Near the wall, higher production of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) and normal Reynolds stresses are observed with the triangular rib as compared to those of the rectangular rib. The ratio of production to dissipation is unity in the log-law region.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2025

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

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.

physics.flu-dyn↗