Grinding structured riblet surfaces using a superhard grinding wheel with the phyllotactic pattern of abrasive grains

The riblet surface is a typical structured surface of biomimetic shark skin, which has good properties in reducing fluid drag resistance and surface hydrophobicity. The research on manufacturing methods for riblet surfaces is of great significance for promoting the engineering applications of such surfaces. In order to establish a new grinding method for the riblet surface, firstly, the topological features of the riblet surface were analyzed, and the geometric feature parameters related to drag reduction were extracted. Using the extracted feature parameters and based on the phyllotaxis theory, a superhard grinding wheel with the phyllotactic pattern of abrasive grains was designed, and the influence of the phyllotaxis coefficient, geometric parameters of the abrasive grains, and grinding parameters on the morphology of the ground riblet surface was explored; Then, the grinding process of the riblet surface was simulated, and the problems in practical applications were investigated using grinding experiments. The results show that using a superhard grinding wheel with the phyllotactic pattern of abrasive grains can achieve grinding of the riblet surface; Adopting a reasonable size and shape of abrasive grains and phyllotaxis coefficient, improving the manufacturing accuracy of the grinding wheel, and selecting appropriate grinding parameters are the technical keys to achieving well-formed and consistent riblet structures.