3.1. Cavitation dynamics
Figure 3 presents cavity dynamics behind the cylinders caused by the flow at
and
.
Figure 3a refers to the cylinder without riblets;
Figure 3b,c, to the cylinder equipped with horizontal and vertical sawtooth riblets, respectively;
Figure 3d,e, to the cylinder with horizontal and vertical scalloped riblets, respectively. As seen, the flow interacted with the cylinder, and miniature riblets induced the creation of small vortex structures nearby, where they significantly affected the instabilities in the absence of the riblets.
In the scenario where a smooth cylinder (without riblets) of finite length and with a free-end (tip) was exposed to an incident flow, a pair of counter-rotating trailing vortices emerged near the cylinder’s tip, as shown by the purple-colored vectors in
Figure 3a. The formation of these vortices arose due to a phenomenon termed as upwash, caused by a weak upward-directed local velocity field at the cylinder’s tip [
44]. As the flow proceeded over the tip, a downwash occurred, whereby the flow descended into the low-pressure region immediately behind the cylinder. The combination of an upwash flow on the sides and the downwash at the center triggered the formation of two counter rotating trailing vortices [
45]. Additionally, segment of the incident flow close to the base moved downward as it approached the cylinder [
46], and it subsequently circulated upstream of the junction between the cylinder and the wall. In this region, the horseshoe vortex took on its shape, wrapped around the cylinder, as shown by the yellow vectors in
Figure 3a, and then progressed downstream [
47]. The combined presence of upwash and downwash vortices led to shedding patterns of varying frequency and amplitude and generated unstable Karman vortices, as shown by the white vectors in
Figure 3a, and this intricately dancing vortex trio added another layer of complexity to the formation of cavitation.
Cavitation on the cylinder occurred akin to hydrofoil cavitation, particularly in the proximity of the laminar separation bubble (LSB) and close to the flow reattachment point [
20]. It started with the generation of linear instability-driven Tollmien–Schlichting (T–S) waves, i.e., constant-frequency traveling waves within the boundary layer. Especially these T-S waves contributed to laminar separation bubble formation. Subsequently, nonlinear three-dimensional (3D) instabilities arose from these linear waves that led to turbulence. Turbulent spots formed and expanded in both streamwise and spanwise directions. This T-S wave development within the stable laminar boundary layer crucially triggered the transition to turbulent flow. Pressure fluctuations, caused by flow instabilities on the cylinder surface, induced cavitation when the local water pressure dropped below the vapor pressure [
40]. We focused our cavitation control strategy on managing flow instabilities, as well as pressure fluctuations, and mitigating LSB formation using miniature riblets.
3.2. Morphology of riblets
Riblets come in a range of shapes, often inspired from biological forms, and they are commonly employed to manage both flow separation and reduce drag [
41,
42,
43]. The most common riblets include sawtooth and scalloped riblets. The usefulness of riblets is based on their capacity to generate vortices behind them, enabling the control of the boundary layer. As seen in
Figure 3b–e, the geometric configuration of riblets and the method of their implementation on the cylinder’s surface significantly influenced flow control and, thus, the inception of cavitation. When considering flow control, the choice of riblet type plays a significant role. Optimal selection involves selecting riblets capable of directing fluid with higher momentum to the boundary layer, where momentum is comparatively low. This strategic selection aids in enhanced control of the boundary layer, a critical factor for effective flow management.
The mechanism behind controlling cavitation achieved through the utilization of riblets has been elucidated in our prior published research [
34,
35]. As the flow interacts with the cylinder, the presence of miniature riblets gives rise to the formation of small vortex structures in their vicinity. These compact vortices play a pivotal role in influencing the instabilities present within the boundary layer, which would otherwise emerge on the cylinder’s surface in the absence of riblets. This mechanism operates through the generation of streamwise vortices by the riblets, facilitating the transfer of fluid with higher momentum from the upper layer into the boundary layer. One significant result of riblet implementation is the increasing the velocities of boundary layer near the surface of the cylinder, which reduces the velocity pulsations inside boundary layer. Thus, employing riblets enabled us to manage the large-scale cavity pulsations generated behind the cylinder. This was achieved by decreasing the instabilities in the upstream boundary layer on the cylinder surface.
Figure 4 presents flow patterns developed near the scalloped riblet’s tip. As seen, scalloped riblets altered the roll-up and breakdown of streamwise vortices in different ways, leading to decisive changes in behavior and interaction with the surrounding flow. Thus, their effects varied, based on their ability to generate vortices influencing the boundary layer. The presence of scalloped riblets resulted in the generation of secondary vortices [
49], inside the valleys near the tip of the riblets; see
Figure 4a. In certain instances, both the primary large-scale streamwise vortices and these secondary vortices, induced by the riblet tips, underwent distortion, as seen in
Figure 4b, and acquired an elongated shape. This altered vortex morphology significantly affected the flow dynamics and cavitation inception. These alterations in vortex structure hold substantial implications for flow dynamics.
In the case of sawtooth riblets, Goldstein et al. [
50] observed a distinctive flow behavior. Close to the peaks of sawtooth riblets, the velocity gradient increased notably, suggesting a region of high velocity gradients. Conversely, within the valleys between the riblets, the velocity gradient is notably reduced. Recall that, occasionally, vorticities do extend into these valleys, it they are usually concentrated near the tips of the riblets. However, as seen in
Figure 3b,c, while the jagged pattern of sawtooth riblets actively controlled the near wall flow by delaying flow separation, the curved pattern of scalloped riblets depicted in
Figure 3d,e delayed the transition to turbulence.
Horizontal riblets modified the near wall flow, predominantly affecting turbulence levels, while vertical riblets smoothed the flow. As seen in
Figure 3b,d, horizontal riblets led to a more stable and predictable flow. Conversely, as seen in
Figure 3c,e, vertical riblets changed the intensity and the behavior of turbulence structures. Thus, riblets with different patterns, i.e., scalloped or sawtooth mounted horizontally or vertically, offered unique ways to alter flow dynamics [
48] as well as the associated turbulence and separation characteristics of the Karman vortices. consequently, it is crucial to select riblets capable of redirecting the fluid with higher momentum into the boundary layer, even when the flow’s momentum is relatively low.
Figure 5 and
Figure 6 present five sequential images at five time intervals (periodic) depicting cavitation process behind the cylinder with horizontal scalloped (SC-H) riblets and vertical scalloped (SC-V) riblets, both caused by the flow at
and
. These specific images were chosen from half of a standard period T (cyclic) that characterized the dynamics of cavity shedding. The red areas indicate regions where the riblets exerted their most significant influence on cavitation. Notably, the pressure increasing behind the riblets led to a reduction in the cavity volume behind the plain cylinder.
As expected, in the case with SC-H riblets, an effective vortex interaction with the boundary layer is seen (
Figure 5). This occurred because flow moved through the tips and valley curves of the horizontal (SC-H) riblets [
49], generating strong longitudinal vortices that affected the boundary layer. In comparison, the flow over the vertical scalloped riblets (SC-V) primarily engaged with the riblets’ sharp edges (
Figure 6), promoting the merging of vortices further downstream.
For the cylinder with SC-V riblets, depicted in
Figure 3e, the flow around these riblets mostly interacted with the sharpness of the riblets [
50]. Instead of longitudinal vortices, this resulted in a vortex sheet forming behind the riblets. SC-H riblets facilitate better interaction as flow moves through valleys at both sides of the riblet instead of merely passing over them as with SC-V riblets. This increased interaction along the top and bottom surfaces of each riblet led to the merging of vortices downstream, thereby creating stronger vortices. Consequently, the horizontal (SC-H) riblets effectively directed higher-momentum fluid into the boundary layer due to their enhanced interaction with the flow.
We also conducted a more comprehensive analysis of how riblet shape and orientation impacted cavitation dynamics in flows at constant Reynolds and cavitation numbers. Riblets modified large-scale cavity structures into smaller ones. Consequently, the cylinder with riblets anticipated lower pressure fluctuations, resulting from detachment and also collapse of these smaller cavities. In essence, riblets mitigated lift force fluctuations and cavitation-induced vibrations on the cylinder surface. The reduced amplitude and shedding frequency of these vibrations represented a significant benefit of riblets. Note that the cavity shedding frequency was slightly higher for cylinder with riblets because the new small-scale cavities generated by these riblets had a higher frequency of the cavity shedding compared to the large-scale cavities.
Figure 7 presents comparative distributions of lift force F
y versus frequency f for the cylinder without and with riblets, caused by the flow at
and
.
Figure 7a plots these distributions for the cylinder with SC-H and SA-H riblets;
Figure 7b, for the cylinder with SC-H and SC-V riblets. The frequencies with highest amplitudes corresponded to the shedding frequency of large-scale cavity structures.
As seen in
Figure 7a, for the case with riblets mounted horizontally, the amplitude of the lift force was substantially reduced: specifically, by 41 % (from 1.44 to 0.84 N) for SA-H and by 43 % (from 1.44 to 0.82 N) for SC-H. Furthermore, the shedding frequency of cavities increased for SA-H and SC-H cases compared to the plain cylinder: specifically, from 31.6 Hz to 43.8 Hz. In
Figure 7b, for SC-H cylinder, the lift force was also reduced by 43 % (from 1.44 to 0.82 N), and by 30 % (from 1.44 to 1.01 N) for SC-V. Here too, the shedding increased for the cylinder with scalloped riblets (SC-H and SC-V) compared to the smooth cylinder: specifically, from 31.6 to 44.4 Hz. Remarkably, horizontal scalloped riblets (SC-H) reduced the amplitude of lift fluctuations more effectively than vertical scalloped riblets (SC-V).
Figure 8 illustrates a comparison between the lift force amplitude and cavitation shedding frequency for plain cylinders and those with riblets mounted horizontally and vertically. The findings indicate that in the case of scallop riblets, horizontal installation results in a smaller lift force range. Conversely, for sawtooth riblets, vertical implementation has a more pronounced impact on reducing the amplitude of lift forces. Nonetheless, the shedding frequency is higher for cylinders with horizontal scalloped/sawtooth riblets compared to their vertical counterparts, with the case without riblets having the lowest shedding frequency. One reason for this increase in shedding frequency is the reduced time required for cavities to detach from the surface of the cylinder due to the presence of riblets. Consequently, riblet structures can be inferred to reduce amplitude of lift fluctuations while slightly increasing the shedding frequency.
Although placing riblets on the upstream face of the cylinder mostly altered the attached flow and the flow’s stability, rear riblets influenced the shedding of vortices in the wake region, thereby also mitigating cavitation. To explore the effects of placing riblets on the cylinder’s rear side, the cylinder with SC-H riblets was rotated 150 deg clockwise.
Figure 9 shows the riblets situated on the upstream/downstream face of the cylinder, caused by the flow at
and
. As seen, the riblets affected the attached flow and the flow’s stability, whereas rear riblets impacted vortex shedding in the wake region, potentially mitigating cavitation. The red surrounded area in
Figure 9a shows the extensive cavitation cloud generated behind the plain cylinder as this cloud was transformed into smaller and less dense clouds for the cylinder with horizontal scalloped riblets (SC-H) facing upstream. The green surrounded areas in
Figure 9b,c represent these cavitation clouds for the cylinder with unrotated and rotated SC-H riblets. While upstream-faced SC-H riblets promoted a smoother flow over the cylinder’s surface and delayed the transition to turbulence, the rotated SC-H riblets generated unstable and unpredictable flow patterns. These flow patterns reduced the shedding frequency of cloud cavitation.
Figure 10 presents five sequential images, captured at regular intervals, showing the progression of cavities around a cylinder with SC-H riblets rotated 150 deg clockwise, caused by the flow at
and
. While the upstream-oriented SC-H riblets resulted in a smoother flow and delayed the transition to turbulence, the rotated SC-H riblets induced unstable and unpredictable flow patterns. Although the rotated riblets had a lesser effect on modifying the wake behavior, they caused unstable and unpredictable flow patterns.
Figure 11 presents comparative plots of lift force amplitude (columns) versus cavitation shedding frequency (squares for 0 deg rotation, dots for 150 deg clockwise rotation) for the plain cylinder and for the cylinders equipped with horizontal and vertical riblets, caused by the flow at
and
. Shown is the morphological variation for the 0 and 150 deg cylinder rotation, displaying lift force amplitude (columns) and vortex shedding frequency (squares and dots) for the plain cylinder, SC-H, SC-V, SA-H, and SA-V riblets. Only the SC-H riblets caused a significant reduction of lift force amplitudes when rotated. In contrast, the other riblet configurations hardly affected the lift force amplitudes compared to those of the plain cylinder. Furthermore, the shedding frequency for the cylinders with the rotated riblets was similar to plain cylinder.
3.3. Effect of Reynolds number
Cavitation effects may be more intense at higher Reynolds numbers, where the Tollmien-Schlichting (T-S) waves grow in magnitude and become more prominent. However, the impacts of riblets on cavitation are influenced by the specific flow conditions. Although they may still be effective in controlling cavitation at different Reynolds numbers, their effectiveness may be limited by stronger turbulence and pressure fluctuations associated with turbulent flows.
Figure 12 shows cavitation structures behind the plain cylinder, SA-H, SA-V, SC-H, and SC-V riblets, caused by the flow at the lower
. As seen, the transition occurred further downstream, where flow separation from the cylinder’s surface was less effective. Comparing
Figure 12a with
Figure 12b–e one can see that, at this lower
, both the SA-H and the SA-V riblets reduced cavitation by improving flow stability although the SA-V riblets were more effective in mitigating cavitation. The SC-H and the SC-V riblets also effectively inhibited cavitation although the SC-H riblets had a greater effect on mitigating cavitation. All riblets stabilized the flow, reduced pressure fluctuations, and led to more stable and smaller cavitation structures; however, their effect on cavitation patterns differed slightly.
Figure 13 shows five sequential images captured at regular intervals of the progression of cavitation around the cylinder with SC-H. This series of images, caused by the flow at the lower
, visualized the flow passing between riblet tips and valleys, thereby generating longitudinal vortices and facilitating effective vortex interaction within the boundary layer.
Figure 14 shows cavitation dynamics around the plain cylinder, SA-H, with SA-V, SC-H, and SC-V riblets, caused by the flow at the higher
. As seen, now separation and flow reattachment occurred more readily due to the stronger turbulence generated by the T-S waves. Thus, the Reynolds number did influence the cavitation patterns. Comparative flow patterns shown in
Figure 12a and
Figure 14a demonstrated that, for the cylinder without riblets caused by the flow at the lower Reynolds number, the cavitation patterns became less structured and less dense. While riblets were still effective to mitigate cavitation at higher Reynolds numbers, their effectiveness was diminished due to the increased flow energy.
Figure 14b–e show that, at this Reynolds number, SA-H, SA-V, and SC-V riblets provided only slight benefits although their effectiveness differed compared to the cases at lower Reynolds numbers. Notably, the SC-H riblets remained the most effective at mitigating the onset of cavitation. Furthermore, at
, cavitation occurred further upstream, and the cavitation patterns were more pronounced and elongated.
Figure 15 pesents five sequential images captured at regular intervals, showing the progression of cavitation dynamics behind a cylinder with SC-H riblets at higher Reynolds number
. Red surrounded areas indicate regions where the riblets exerted their most significant influence on cavitation. As seen, the SC-H riblets influenced the generation and distribution of the cavitation cloud, and they remained effective at delaying the onset of cavitation at this higher Reynolds number.
Figure 16 plots comparative lift force amplitudes and cavitation shedding frequencies for cylinder with the different kinds of riblets, caused by the flow at three different Reynolds numbers. Notably, at all Reynolds numbers, the SC-H riblets consistently reduced lift force amplitudes significantly. At
and
, the other kinds of riblets also had a notable effect on lift force amplitudes. It was important to highlight that the introduction of riblets consistently led to an increase in shedding frequency at all Reynolds numbers. Interestingly, the shedding frequency of the cylinder with the SC-H riblets surpassed all other cases. This was due to the significantly reduced time required for cavities to detach themselves from the surface of the cylinder with SC-H riblets.