Abstract
We address the “additive equivalence” discovered by Virk and co-workers: drag reduction affected by flexible and rigid rodlike polymers added to turbulent wall-bounded flows is limited from above by a very similar maximum drag reduction (MDR) asymptote. Considering the equations of motion of rodlike polymers in wall-bounded turbulent ensembles, we show that although the microscopic mechanism of attaining the MDR is very different, the macroscopic theory is isomorphic, rationalizing the interesting experimental observations.
- Received 12 January 2005
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.72.016305
©2005 American Physical Society