Surface-roughness effects on the mean flow past circular cylinders

Abstract

Measurements of mean-pressure distributions and boundary-layer development on rough-walled circular cylinders in a uniform stream are described. Five sizes of distributed sandpaper roughness have been tested over the Reynolds-number range 7 × 104to 5·5 × 105. The results are examined together with those of previous investigators, and the observed roughness effects are discussed in the light of boundary-layer theory. It is found that there is a significant influence of surface roughness on the mean-pressure distribution even at very large Reynolds numbers. This observation is supported by an extension of the Stratford–Townsend theory of turbulent boundary-layer separation to the case of circular cylinders with distributed roughness. The pressure rise to separation is shown to be closely related, as expected, to the characteristics of the boundary layer, smaller pressure rises being associated with thicker boundary layers with greater momentum deficits. Larger roughness gives rise to a thicker and more retarded boundary layer which separates earlier and with a smaller pressure recovery.