Controllable Adjustment of Bio-Replicated Shark Skin Drag Reduction Riblets

Abstract:

Although natural shark shin surface morphology has excellent drag reduction performance, it exhibits maximum drag reduction just within swimming speed of the shark. That is, drag reduction function of shark skin is unadjustable to surrounding environment. To expand applications of bio-replicated shark skin, two novel controllable adjustments of shark skin drag reduction riblets including one-direction elongation and 3D volume swelling amplification, were explored. The validity and efficiency of the two approaches to change the drag reduction riblets were verified by comparison between microstructure of adjusted and original shark skin. And the translation of drag reduction peak of natural surface function from living environment to various application environments was proved by experimental measurement. By comparison, the elongating method is efficient but low drag reduction, while the swelling way can get the same drag reduction as shark skin but cost more time. So they should be performed according to the situation. As the optimal application velocity range of the imitative shark shin morphology can be expanded by both of the two methods, the application field of the biomimetic drag reduction surface fabricated by the bio-replicated forming technology was extended.

• Periodical: Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volume 461)
• Pages: 677-680
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.461.677
• Online since: November 2013
• Authors: Xin Zhang, De Yuan Zhang, Jun Feng Pan, Xiang Li, Hua Wei Chen
• Keywords: Bio-Replication, Controllable Adjustment, Drag Reduction, Shark Skin

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