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Abstract

A method is provided to select appropriate material properties for turbulent friction drag reduction, given a specific body configuration and freestream velocity. The method is based on a mathematical description of the balance of energy at the interface between the viscoelastic surface and the moving fluid, and permits determination of the interaction of turbulent boundary layer fluctuations with a viscoelastic layer by solving two subtasks--i.e., a hydrodynamic problem and an elasticity problem, which are coupled by absorption and compliancy coefficients. Displacement, velocity, and energy transfer boundary conditions on a viscoelastic surface are determined, and a Reynolds stress type turbulence model is modified to account for redistribution of turbulent energy in the near-wall of the boundary layer. The invention permits drag reduction by a coating with specified density, thickness, and complex shear modulus to be predicted for a given body geometry and freestream velocity. For practical applications, viscoelastic coatings may be combined with additional structure, including underlying wedges to minimize edge effects for coatings of finite length, and surface riblets, for stabilization of longitudinal vortices.

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First Claim