A Fundamental Principle of Aeronautical Engineering Has Been Overturned
Summary
WIRED reports that the long-held belief that smoother surfaces always reduce aerodynamic drag has been overturned. The research shows distributed micro-roughness can significantly reduce drag by delaying the laminar-to-turbulent transition, achieving up to 43.6% drag reduction in the transition zone using advanced measurement methods. The work distinguishes distributed micro-roughness from shark-skin rivulet techniques and suggests new directions for low-drag surface design.