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Low Reynolds Number Flow Field Modification Via Travelling Wave Actuation Of A Vertically Aligned Wire Array Surface, John C. Calhoun

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical Engineering

Experiments were conducted to observe the effects of an active wire surface on low-Reynolds number Poiseuille flow. The objective was to evaluate the feasibility of actuating piezoelectric nanowires into a travelling wave motion in order to reduce wall shear stress in turbulent flows. Studies have shown that travelling wave motions introduced into the bounding wall of turbulent flow can reduce wall shear stress by disrupting the formation of drag-inducing coherent vortical structures. A Reynolds number scaled flow facility was designed to represent the near-wall region of turbulent flow. A wire surface was installed in the bounding wall and dynamically actuated …