This study investigates the effects of wall wettability on vortex shedding behavior and hydrodynamic force coefficients around a circular pier through high-fidelity simulations using OpenFOAM. By systematically varying the static wall contact angle across a range of Reynolds numbers, the impact of surface wettability on the lift (C l ), drag (C d ), and moment (C m ) coefficients, as well as wake dynamics, is analyzed. The results demonstrate that increasing hydrophobicity significantly alters the near-wake structure by delaying flow separation, reducing vortex strength, and suppressing vortex-induced vibrations. Superhydrophobic surfaces, in particular, yield narrower wakes, lower pressure drag, and reduced oscillatory loads. Power spectral analyses confirm a shift or suppression of the dominant vortex shedding frequency with increased contact angle. These findings highlight surface wettability as a passive, scalable strategy for controlling unsteady flow phenomena and improving structural performance in marine and civil engineering applications.
Yasouji et al. (Fri,) studied this question.