Axisymmetric bluff-body drag reduction using circumferential grooves

The effect of shoulder radiusing and circumferentially grooving the afterbodies of bluff bodies to reduce the base drag at low speeds is discussed. Shoulder radii as large as 2.75 body diameters are examined. Reynolds number based on body diameter varied from 20,000 to 200,000. Results indicate that increasing the shoulder radius to 2.75 body diameters can reduce the drag levels to those of a streamline body having 67 percent greater fineness ratio. For zero shoulder radius, circumferential grooves were found to be effective in reducing body drag for zero shoulder radius in both laminar and tripped flow. Circumferential grooves on the afterbody with a shoulder radius of one-half the body diameter were only effective in reducing drag for laminar flow.