Passive Control of Non-Canonical Flows with Anisotropic Porous Materials

We examine the characteristics of flow through high-porosity anisotropic porous material (APM) lattices. In particular, we analyze periodic cubic lattice samples with isotropic and anisotropic projected area porosities along the principal axes of the sample. A 1-inch cube sample fabricated using stereolithography is installed at the end of a long square duct that can produce fully developed laminar flow up to Re=2000, based on the hydraulic diameter and bulk velocity of the duct. The Darcy-Forchheimer model is used for data analysis with consideration to nonlinear inertial effects at high Re. Pressure drop data for isotropic specimens are first measured to verify the repeatability of the experiments. Data are then acquired and analyzed for various designs with high (~0.85), medium (~0.50) and low (~0.15) projected area porosities and compared with select Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS). The data are used to determine scaling laws that may be useful for APM designs in future flow control applications.