Vortex interaction with a rough wall formed by a hexagonal lattice of posts

Abstract

An experimental study is reported which investigates the head-on collision of a laminar vortex ring of diameter D (ReΓ= 3000) on a fakir-like surface composed of circular posts of height h*=0.068 located on a planar bed. Lattices of the posts in hexagonal and random distribution (average porosity of e = 0.94 in the layer) are compared to each other with respect to the plain wall. Prior to impact, the vortex ring develops the early state of natural azimuthal instabilities of different mode numbers N=5-7 competing with each other. While impacting with the rough wall, a secondary ring is observed which is pushed outwards and is not wrapped around the primary ring as in flat wall impact. Between both rings of opposite sign vorticity, a strong fluid rebound is induced. The hexagonal lattice causes the rapid growth of further secondary vortex structures in a regular mode number N=6 arrangement at the outer edge of the primary ring in form of six lobes which are aligned with the orientations of preferential pathways in the layer. At the outer tip of the lobes radial wall-jets are generated. Rotating the fakir geometry around the centre of impact also rotates the jets location and direction accordingly. A surface with random lattice of the posts at the same average number density is not able to repeat this observation and no regular secondary flow pattern is visible until full breakdown of the ring. The results show that a tailored arrangement of such posts can be used for near-wall flow control when patterns of preferred pathways in the posts layer lock-on with existing instability modes such as in impacting jet flows or in turbulent boundary layer flows.