Experimental study of skin friction drag reduction on superhydrophobic flat plates in high Reynolds number boundary layer flow

Abstract

In this paper, we report the measurement of skin friction drag on superhydrophobic-coated flat plates in high Reynolds (Re) number boundary layer flows, using a high-speed towing tank system. Aluminum flat plates with a large area (4 feet × 2 feet, 3/8 in. thick) and sharpened leading/trailing edges (1 in. long) were prepared as a boundary layer flow model. Spray coating of hydrophobic nanoparticles was applied to make two different types of superhydrophobic coatings: one with low contact angle and high contact angle hysteresis, and the other with high contact angle and low contact angle hysteresis. Skin friction drag of the superhydrophobic plates was measured in the flow speed up to 30 ft/s to cover transition and turbulent flow regimes (105 < ReL < 107), and was compared to that of an uncoated bare aluminum plate. A significant drag reduction was observed on the superhydrophobic plate with high contact angle and low contact angle hysteresis up to ∼30% in transition regime (105 < ReL < 106), which is attributed to the shear-reducing air layer entrapped on the superhydrophobic surface. However, in fully turbulence regime (106 < ReL < 107), an increase of drag was observed, which is ascribed to the morphology of the surface air layer and its depletion by high shear flow. The texture of superhydrophobic coatings led to form a rugged morphology of the entrapped air layer, which would behave like microscale roughness to the liquid flow and offset the drag-reducing effects in the turbulent flow. Moreover, when the superhydrophobic coating became wet due to the removal of air by high shear at the boundary, it would amplify the surface roughness of solid wall and increase the drag in the turbulent flow. The results illustrate that drag reduction is not solely dependent on the superhydrophobicity of a surface (e.g., contact angle and air fraction), but the morphology and stability of the surface air layer are also critical for the effective drag reduction using superhydrophobic surfaces, especially in high Re number turbulent flow regimes.