Direct Contactiess Microfabrication for Application of Drag Reducing Riblets onto Aerospace Vehicles Utilizing UV Curable Allophanate Structures

摘要

MICROTAU'S 2017 AIAA SciTech paper titled Microfabrication of Riblets for Drag Reduction1 reported on the successful proof of concept demonstration of a novel method of Direct Contactiess Microfabrication(DCM)for application of drag-reducing rib let microstructures.Riblet panels produced using this prototype reliably exhibited a 6-7% viscous drag reduction in wind tunnel testing.This research was carried out as part of Phase I of the U.S.Air Force Research Laboratory's(AFRL)Engineered Surfaces,Materials and Coatings(ESMC)program for drag reduction.2 The ESMC program goal is the practical application of drag reduction technology to U.S.Air Force(USAF)legacy transport aircraft fleet in order to reduce their $8B+ annual spend on aircraft fuel.