Effect of anisotropic resistance characteristic on boundary-layer transitional flow

It is observed that the feather surface exhibits anisotropic resistances for the streamwise and spanwise flows. To obtain a qualitative understanding about the effect of this anisotropic resistance feature of surface on the boundary-layer transitional flow over a flat plate, a simple phenomenological model for the anisotropic resistance is established in this paper. By means of the large eddy simulation (LES) with high-order accurate finite difference method, the numerical investigations are conducted. The numerical results show that with the spanwise resistance hindering the formation of vortexes, the transition from laminar flow to turbulent flow can be delayed, and turbulence is weakened when the flow becomes fully turbulent, which leads to significant drag reduction for the plate. On the contrary, the streamwise resistance renders the flow less stable, which leads to the earlier transition and enhances turbulence in the turbulent region, causing a drag increase for the plate. Thus, it is indicated that a surface with large resistance for spanwise flow and small resistance for streamwise flow can achieve significant drag reduction. The present results highlight the anisotropic resistance characteristic near the feather surface for drag reduction, and shed a light on the study of bird’s efficient flight.