Drag production mechanisms of filamentous biofilms.

Drag production mechanisms of filamentous biofilms. Biofouling. 2020 Aug 18;:1-17 Authors: Hartenberger JD, Callison EG, Gose JW, Perlin M, Ceccio SL Abstract Biofilms were grown on smooth acrylic surfaces for nominal incubation times of three, five, and ten weeks in a flow loop at the University of Michigan. The biofilm covered surfaces were exposed to the turbulent flow in a high-aspect ratio, fully developed channel flow facility at height-based Reynolds numbers from ReH ≈ 5,000 to 30,000. Measurements of the pressure drop along each fouled upper surface revealed that the friction drag increased from approximately 10% to 400%. The wide range in drag penalty was linked to variations in flow speed, the average thickness of the biofilms, and the level of film coverage over each surface through scaling parameters and empirical correlations. Rigid replicas of select biofilms were produced from time-averaged laser scans collected while the biofilm was subjected to flow. These rigid biofilm replicas experienced roughly half the drag increase of their compliant counterparts with the increase in friction spanning roughly 50% to 200%. PMID: 32811170 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Biofouling - Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Tags: Biofouling Source Type: research