Roughness Effects on Frictional Resistance of Enclosed Rotating Disks

The effects of surface roughness on the frictional resistance of enclosed rotating disks have been studied experimentally. Torque data were obtained over the range of disk Reynolds numbers 4 × 10³ to 6 × 10⁶ for three different relative roughnesses a/k of 1000, 2000, and 3200 at three axial-clearance-to-disk-radius ratios s/a of 0.0227, 0.0609, and 0.112 for a constant, small, radial tip clearance. The existence of four possible basic flow regimes in the axial gap between the disk and casing wall was verified. Empirical expressions have been presented which predict the initial point of onset of turbulence in the flow within the boundary layer on the disk, the point at which the surface roughness becomes fully effective, and the magnitudes of the resistance coefficients in the zone of fully rough turbulent flow. The similarities and differences between smooth and rough-disk torque behavior, and to a limited extent boundary-layer behavior, have been noted.