Investigation about drag reduction characteristic of iblets surface on vehicle model in water tunnel

The drag characteristic of vehicle models with the transverse riblets surface is studied by water tunnel experiment. The experimental models with smooth surface and riblets surface are tested respectively under the zero attack angle and various velocities by using three force component balance in order to acquire the drag characteristic curves. The experimental results show that the vehicle models with the transverse riblets surface have obvious drag reduction effect, which is correlative with riblet structure's size, space and flow velocity. Under the experimental condition the maximal drag reduction effect is 11.7%.