PASSIVE FLOW CONTROL USING BIO-INSPIRED MICRO-SCALE SURFACE STRUCTURES

Guest speaker:

Prof Shan Zhong
School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
The University of Manchester

Abstract:

Herringbone riblets or convergent-divergent (C-D) riblets are a new type of surface patterns which begins to receive research attention in the recent years. They consist of sections of left-tilted and right-tilted micro grooves which are joined together side by side. Such micro patterns have been found on shark skins and on the secondary flight feathers of birds. Due to the directional orientation of these micro grooves, C-D riblets are capable of generating weak large-scale secondary flow motion across the boundary layer resulting in a significant modification of boundary layer characteristics in the spanwise direction.

 In this seminar, Prof Shan Zhong will present the finding from a series of experimental studies undertaken at Manchester demonstrating the effectiveness of this type of bio-inspired riblets in reducing the pressure losses in linear cascades and attenuating shockwave-induced flow separation. She will also present the results from flat-plate boundary layers aiming to understand the impact of these riblets on boundary layer development and turbulent structures.

Bio: 

Shan Zhong obtained her BEng and MEng degrees from Tsinghua University in China and her PhD degree from Cambridge University. She joined The University of Manchester as a Lecturer in 1997 after having worked as a postdoctoral research associate at Oxford University for three years. She is now Professor of Experimental Fluid Mechanics and the head of Aerodynamics Research Group at the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering.

Prof Zhong’s research work spans a wide range of flow regimes from low-Reynolds number propulsion to supersonic flow.  Her main research area in the past 15 years is flow control with a focus on understanding the flow physics involved and maximising the flow control effectiveness for given applications. She has carried out extensive studies on synthetic jets for a range of applications including flow separation control, fluid mixing, heat transfer augmentation and surface friction reduction. In the recent years, she has switched her research interest to bio-inspired passive flow control technologies (such as leading edge tubercles and micro-scale surface patterns) and begun to explore their potential for improving the performance of various aerodynamic shapes. 

Prof Zhong is a Fellow of Royal Aeronautical Society and a senior life-time member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.