Near wall characteristics of flow over grooved circular cylinder

An experimental investigation was made of the flow over a grooved circular cylinder of different aspect ratios. Based on the drag coefficient, Strouhal number and mean shear stress, three flow regimes of subcritical, critical and supercritical were found, all of which are below the subcritical Reynolds number of a smooth cylinder. Boundary layer characteristics within the different flow regimes were measured. The shift of the boundary layer away from the grooves and an estimated change in the virtual origin are used to establish the similarity of the flow characteristics of grooved and smooth cylinders.