Study on Drag Reduction of Ti6Al4V with Different Shaped Microstructures via Femtosecond Laser Processing

To enhance the aerodynamic performance of Ti6Al4V functional components, this paper systematically investigated the femtosecond laser processing technology for surface drag-reduction microstructures, aiming to fabricate high-performance microstructures. (1) V-shaped, U-shaped, and rectangular micro-grooves were designed based on the boundary layer theory, and their drag-reduction mechanisms were elucidated through CFD numerical simulations. The results indicate that the V-shaped groove achieves a peak drag-reduction rate of 13.1% at a dimensionless depth of h⁺ = 15 and an aspect ratio of 1, primarily due to the formation of a low-velocity zone and the suppression of turbulent bursts by secondary vortices. (2) Through single-factor experiments, the influence laws of femtosecond laser process parameters on the V-shaped groove were explored. (3) Regression prediction models for groove dimensions were established using the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to optimize the processing parameters. Under the optimized conditions, high-quality V-shaped groove arrays with a width of 55.9 μm and a depth of 55.5 μm were successfully fabricated on the Ti6Al4V surface, characterized by high consistency and a minimal heat-affected zone. This research provides an effective technical solution for the precision manufacturing of high-performance drag-reduction structures on titanium alloy surfaces.