Proceedings of the
World Congress on Micro and Nano Manufacturing (WCMNM 2022 )
19–22 September 2022, Lueven, Belgium
doi:10.3850/978-981-18-5180-3_RP56-0070
On the Performance Evaluation of Microtextured Surfaces Using Computational Fluid Dynamics: A Comparative Study
School of Engineering, Cardiff University, Queen's Buildings, The Parade, Cardiff, CF24 3AA, UK
ABSTRACT
Microtextured surfaces are gaining rapid uptake in industrial sectors for bespoke functional applications that require specific tribological, mechanical and biological properties, such as friction and wear, corrosion resistance, wettability, bio-reactivity and so on. Although comprehensive study has been undertaken to create optimal texture designs that adapt to each respective application, the design process still requires elements of trial-and-error approaches. In order to minimise the uncertainty of the trial-and-error design process, this study centres on employing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software tools to assess isothermal fluid flow velocity profiles on the microtextured surfaces, in relation to the energy-sector applications. A comparative analysis has been undertaken on the effectiveness of three different CFD tools to predict the velocity profiles generated on the textured surfaces under atmospheric fluid flow conditions (1000 L/min) with a fixed input air velocity (3.78 m/s) at room temperature. The results from the CFD analysis were then compared with that obtained from an experimental set-up involving a scallop-shaped textured surface produced via micro-wire electro discharge machining. The data suggest that the predicted velocity profile on using the scan of a real manufactured surface is significantly closer rather than when using a CAD idealised textured surface. However, there remains some limitations with the meshing that require further research.
Keywords: Microtextured Surfaces, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Biomimetics.
School of Engineering, Cardiff University, Queen's Buildings, The Parade, Cardiff, CF24 3AA, UK
ABSTRACT
Microtextured surfaces are gaining rapid uptake in industrial sectors for bespoke functional applications that require specific tribological, mechanical and biological properties, such as friction and wear, corrosion resistance, wettability, bio-reactivity and so on. Although comprehensive study has been undertaken to create optimal texture designs that adapt to each respective application, the design process still requires elements of trial-and-error approaches. In order to minimise the uncertainty of the trial-and-error design process, this study centres on employing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software tools to assess isothermal fluid flow velocity profiles on the microtextured surfaces, in relation to the energy-sector applications. A comparative analysis has been undertaken on the effectiveness of three different CFD tools to predict the velocity profiles generated on the textured surfaces under atmospheric fluid flow conditions (1000 L/min) with a fixed input air velocity (3.78 m/s) at room temperature. The results from the CFD analysis were then compared with that obtained from an experimental set-up involving a scallop-shaped textured surface produced via micro-wire electro discharge machining. The data suggest that the predicted velocity profile on using the scan of a real manufactured surface is significantly closer rather than when using a CAD idealised textured surface. However, there remains some limitations with the meshing that require further research.
Keywords: Microtextured Surfaces, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Biomimetics.
