Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How biomimetic microstructured surfaces reduce drag in fluids
By Liu J et al.·2026·Harbin Institute of Technology, China·View original on Europe PMC →
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Original publication title: Numerical Investigation on Drag Reduction Mechanisms of Biomimetic Microstructure Surfaces.
Plain-English summary
This study looked at how certain surface designs, inspired by nature, can help reduce drag in water and air. Researchers used computer simulations to test three different groove shapes: blade-groove, V-groove, and arc-groove, all under the same conditions. They found that the blade-groove shape worked the best, reducing drag by 18.2%, while the V-groove and arc-groove followed with reductions of 16.5% and 14.7%, respectively. The study also showed that the design of the grooves affects how well they can create layers that keep fast-moving fluid away from the grooves, which is key to their performance. Overall, the findings provide useful guidelines for designing surfaces that can effectively reduce drag.
Abstract
Biomimetic microstructured surfaces offer a promising passive strategy for drag reduction in marine and aerospace applications. This study employs computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to systematically investigate the drag reduction performance and mechanisms of groove-type microstructures, addressing both geometry selection and dimensional optimization. Three representative geometries (V-groove, blade-groove, and arc-groove) were compared under identical flow conditions (inflow velocity 5 m/s, <i>Re</i> = 7.5 × 10<sup>5</sup>) using the shear-stress-transport (SST <i>k</i>-<i>ω</i>) turbulence model, and the third-generation <i>Ω</i> criterion was employed for threshold-independent vortex identification. The results establish a clear performance hierarchy: blade-groove achieves the highest drag reduction rate of 18.2%, followed by the V-groove (16.5%) and arc-groove (14.7%). The analysis reveals that stable near-wall microvortices form dynamic vortex isolation layers that separate the high-speed flow from the groove valleys, with blade grooves generating the strongest and most fully developed vortex structures. A parametric study of blade-groove aspect ratios (<i>h<sup>+</sup>/s<sup>+</sup></i> = 0.35-1.0) further demonstrates that maintaining <i>h<sup>+</sup>/s<sup>+</sup></i> ≥ 0.75 preserves effective vortex-isolation layers, whereas reducing <i>h<sup>+</sup>/s<sup>+</sup></i> below 0.6 causes vortex collapse and performance degradation. These findings establish a comprehensive design framework combining geometry selection (blade-groove > V-groove > arc-groove) with dimensional optimization criteria, providing quantitative guidance for practical biomimetic drag-reducing surfaces.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Europe PMC: https://europepmc.org/article/MED/41589994