Effect of nonisothermality of the surface of a thin profile on the stability of a laminar boundary layer

Investigations of the stability of a subsonic laminar boundary layer have shown that, other things being equal, the stability of the laminar flow is considerably improved by cooling the entire surface of the body to a constant temperature T_w=const lower than the temperature of the free stream [1–3]. This is attributable to an increase in the critical Reynolds number of loss of stability and a decrease in the range of unstable perturbations of the Tollmien-Schlichting wave type when the surface is cooled. Recently, in the course of investigating the stability of laminar flow over a flat plate it was found [4, 5] that a similar improvement in flow stability can be achieved by raising the temperature of a small part of the surface near the leading edge of the plate. In this study we examine the possibility of delaying the transition to turbulent flow by creating a nonuniform temperature distribution along the surface of thin profiles, where the development of an adverse pressure gradient in the outer flow has a destabilizing effect on the boundary layer.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 36–42, September–October, 1986.In conclusion, the authors wish to thank M. N. Kogan for useful discussions of their results.     

Optimization of laminar-turbulent transition delay by means of local heating of the surface

The stability and position of laminar-turbulent transition in the boundary layer on a body heated near the leading edge are analyzed. The point of transition is found using the linear theory of the stability of plane-parallel flow and thee ^N -method. It is shown that by heating a tiny area near the leading edge to a temperature exceeding that of the oncoming flow by a factor of two to four, transition may be delayed, even on a thermally insulated surface. For highly radiating surfaces the energy saved by reducing the friction drag may exceed the heating energy by a factor of three. It is shown that by varying the pressure distribution and surface heating it is possible either to increase the airfoil lift for a fixed transition point or delay transition for a fixed lift.Moscow. Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 4, pp. 90–99, July–August, 1995.     

Investigation of boundary layer stability in a gradient flow with a high degree of free-stream turbulence

The results of an experimental investigation of boundary layer stability in a gradient flow with a high degree of free-stream turbulence are presented. The question of the possible artificial generation, the further development and the effect on laminar-turbulent transition of instability waves (Tollmien-Schlichting waves) in the boundary layer on a wing profile is considered for a level of free-stream turbulence =1.75% of the free-stream velocity; the sensitivity of the flow to the disturbances and their control by means of boundary layer suction are investigated.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 2, pp. 52–58, March–April, 1990.     

Effect of Heat Supply on the Stability of the Supersonic Swept Atiachment-Line Boundary Layer

The stability of a boundary layer with volume heat supply on the attachment line of a swept wing is investigated within the framework of the linear theory at supersonic inviscid-free-stream Mach numbers. The results of numerical calculations of the flow stability and neutral curves are presented for the flow on the leading edge of a swept wing with a swept angle χ=60° at various free-stream Mach numbers. The effect of volume heat supply on the characteristics of boundary layer stability on the attachment line is studied at a surface temperature equal to the temperature of the external inviscid flow. It is shown that in the case of a supersonic external inviscid flow volume heat supply may result in an increase in the critical Reynolds number and stabilization of disturbances corresponding to large wave numbers. For certain energy supply parameters the situation is reversed, the unstable disturbances corresponding to the main flow-instability zone are stabilized but another zone of flow-instability with small wave numbers and a significantly lower critical Reynolds number appears.     

Effect of surface temperature on the stability of the swept attachment line boundary layer

At fairly high Reynolds numbers instability may develop on the line of attachment of the potential flow to the leading edge of a swept wing and lead to a transition to boundary layer turbulence directly at the leading edge [1, 2]. Although the first results relating to the stability and transition of laminar flow at the leading edge of swept wings were obtained almost 30 years ago, the problem remains topical. The stability of the swept attachment line boundary layer was recently investigated numerically with allowance for compressibility effects [3, 4]. Below we examine the effect of surface temperature on the stability characteristics of the laminar viscous heat-conducting gas flow at the leading edge of a side slipping wing.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 6, pp. 78–82, November–December, 1990.     

Boundary layer laminarization on a thermally insulated surface with energy supply to the flow

A subsonic stream of gas flowing over a thermally insulated plate and having an elevated temperature in a thin layer adjacent to the surface is considered. This temperature distribution in the flow can be obtained by providing a volume energy supply near the leading edge of the plate. The results of calculating the position of the line of laminar-turbulent transition on the basis of linear stability theory and the e^N method are presented. It is shown that the presence of a heated layer of gas near the surface of the plate leads to an increase in the stability of the laminar flow and an extension of the laminar interval of the boundary layer. A nonmonotonic dependence of the length of the laminar interval on the thickness of the heated layer of gas is detected. Moscow. Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 58–61, September–October, 1988.     

Laminar boundary layer stability on membrane type deformable surfaces

In connection with the successful experiments of Kramer [l, 2] on models sheathed by flexible coverings, attempts have been made to explain theoretically the effect of boundary deformation on the position of the point of stability loss in the boundary layer. Korotkin [3] examined the stability of a plane laminar boundary layer on an elastic surface under the assumption of a linear connection between the pressure perturbation and the normal deformation of the surface. Benjamin [4] and Landahl [5] investigated the stability of the laminar boundary layer on a membrane type surface under the assumption that the physical characteristics of the surface depend on the perturbing flow wavelength. In the following we examine stability of Blasius flow on a membrane type surface whose physical characteristics are constant along the length.Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, vol. 10, no. 6, pp. 52–56, November–December, 1969.     

Effect of periodic action on boundary layer stability

The effect of a wave traveling over the surface and suction-blowing in the form of a traveling wave on boundary layer stability and laminarturbulent transition is investigated. The perturbation parameters are assumed not to be related to the parameters of the Tollmien-Schlichting wave. The parameters corresponding to an increase in the critical Reynolds number by a factor of 2–2.5 are determined.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 3, pp. 109–115, May–June, 1988.The author is grateful to V. A. Kuparev for supplying the program for calculating the stability of the boundary layer.     

Estimation of the acoustic emission spectrum of a boundary layer on a rough surface

Under engineering conditions the surfaces over which fluids flow are not usually hydraulically smooth. In this connection it is important to investigate the generation of sound by a turbulent boundary layer on a rough surface. Turbulent flow over a deformed surface creates dipole sources of sound, which may considerably increase the acoustic emission as compared with the quadrupole emission from a boundary layer on a smooth plate [1, 2]. In the case of sandy roughness estimates of the acoustic field are usually based on the energy summation of the fields generated by flow over the individual roughness elements [3, 4]. In this case not easily verifiable assumptions are made concerning the nature of the turbulent flow near the roughness, and the intensity of the emission is found correct to a constant factor subject to experimental determination. In the present study, in order to calculate the acoustic emission of a boundary layer on a surface with sandy roughness, it is proposed to employ the available experimental data on the cross of the surface pressure.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 20–26, September–October, 1985.     

Experimental investigation into the reaction of a boundary layer to external periodic disturbances

The effect of a concentrated external disturbance on the boundary layer of a plate was investigated in the framework of the reaction of boundary layers to external disturbances. A disturbance localized above the surface of the plate was introduced into the external flow. Measurements revealed the generation of Tollmien—Schlichting waves in the boundary layer; in conjunction with the results of the earlier studies [1, 2], this shows that a concentrated external disturbance is an effective means of generating characteristic oscillations in a boundary layer.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 4, pp. 155–159, July–August, 1980.     

Stability of preseparation boundary layer on the leading edge of a thin airfoil

Numerous experiments on subsonic flow of gas past thin wing profiles (see the reviews [1, 2]) have shown that the flow near the leading edge of an airfoil is separationless only at angles of attack less than a certain critical value, which depends on the shape of the airfoil. If the angle of attack reaches the critical value, a closed region of recirculation flow of small extension is formed on the upper surface of the airfoil. Under ordinary flow conditions, the boundary layer on the leading edge of the airfoil remains laminar in the entire preseparation range of angles of attack. However, the appearance of the closed separation region is, as a rule, accompanied by transition from a laminar to a turbulent flow regime. Moreover, generation of turbulence is observed precisely in the flow separation region. The present paper is devoted to a study of the stability of the boundary layer on the leading edge of a thin airfoil in a flow of incompressible fluid. The case when the angle of attack of the airfoil relative to the oncoming flow differs little from the critical value is considered.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 6, pp. 55–63, November–December, 1982.     

Occurrence of Tolman-Schlichting waves in the boundary layer under the effect of external perturbations

Under small external perturbations, the initial stage of the laminar into turbulent flow transition process in boundary layers is the development of natural oscillations, Tolman-Schlichting waves, which are described by the linear theory of hydrodynamic stability. Subsequent nonlinear processes start to appear in a sufficiently narrow band of relative values of the perturbation amplitudes (1–2% of the external flow velocity) and progress quite stormily. Hence, the initial linear stage of relatively slow development of perturbations is governing, in a known sense, in the complete transition process. In particular, the location of the transition point depends, to a large extent, on the spectrum composition and intensity of the perturbations in the boundary layer, which start to develop according to linear theory laws, resulting in the long run in destruction of the laminar flow mode. In its turn, the initial intensity and spectrum composition of the Tolman-Schlichting waves evidently depend on the corresponding characteristics of the different external perturbations generating these waves. The significant discrepancy in the data of different authors on the transition Reynolds number in the boundary layer on a flat plate [1–4] is probably explained by the difference in the composition of the small perturbing factors (which have not, unfortunately, been fully checked out by far). Moreover, it is impossible to expect that all kinds of external perturbations will be transformed identically into the natural boundary-layer oscillations. The relative role of external perturbations of different nature is apparently not identical in the Tolman-Schlichting wave generation process. However, how the boundary layer reacts to small external perturbations, under what conditions and in what way do external perturbations excite Tolman-Schlichting waves in the boundary layer have practically not been investigated. The importance of these questions in the solution of the problem of the passage to turbulence and in practical applications has been emphasized repeatedly recently [5, 6], Only the first steps towards their solution have been taken at this time [4, 7–10], Out of all the small perturbing factors under the real conditions of the majority of experiments to investigate the flow stability and transition in the case of smooth polished walls, three are apparently most essential, viz.: the turbulence of the external flow, acoustic perturbations, and model vibrations. In principle, all possible mechanisms for converting the energy of these perturbations into Tolman-Schlichting waves can be subdivided into two classes (excluding the nonlinear interactions which are not examined here): 1) distributed wave generation in the boundary layer; and 2) localized wave generation at the leading edge of the streamlined model. Among the first class is both the possibility of the direct transformation of the external flow perturbations into Tolman-Schlichting waves through the boundary-layer boundary, and wave excitation because of the active vibrations of the model wall. Among the second class are all possible mechanisms for the conversion of acoustic or vortical perturbations, as well as the vibrations of the streamlined surface, into Tolman-Schlichting waves, which occurs in the area of the model leading edge.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR. Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 85–94, September–October, 1978.     

Effect of a steady periodic velocity inhomogeneity on boundary layer stability

Direct numerical simulation is used to investigate laminar-turbulent transition in a boundary layer with a span-periodic inhomogeneity of the velocity profile which is created artificially. It is shown that the presence of the inhomogeneity leads to a slowing down of the growth of unstable perturbations and a delaying of the laminar-turbulent transition.Moscow. Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 4, pp. 45–52, July–August, 1995.     

Stability of a nonisothermal boundary layer in the presence of periodic perturbations of the exterior flow velocity

The stability of a laminar boundary layer in the presence of high-frequency time-periodic perturbations of the exterior flow velocity, in particular, acoustic vibrations, is investigated in a series of papers which are reviewed in detail in monograph [1]. The mechanisms by which such perturbations influence the stability and transition to the turbulent flow regime can vary. For example, they can lead to the deformation of the averaged field of the basic flow. However, there was good reason not to discuss the effect of this type of perturbation earlier, as it was considered that the change in the basic flow was very small even for perturbations of great amplitude. The aim of the present paper is to demonstrate how perturbations or pulsations in the exterior flow velocity can, by changing the basic flow, have a strong influence on the stability of the laminar boundary layer of a gas under appreciably nonisothermal conditions. Examples of calculations that support this assertion are given.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 183–186, September–October, 1984.The authors wish to thank A. A. Maslov for his help with the calculations.     

Method of mean-mass parameters for a three-dimensional boundary layer in a flow with vorticity

When a gas flows with hypersonic velocity over a slender blunt body, the bow shock induces large entropy gradients and vorticity near the wall in the disturbed flow region (in the high-entropy layer) [1]. The boundary layer on the body develops in an essentially inhomogeneous inviscid flow, so that it is necessary to take into account the difference between the values of the gas parameters on the outer edge of the boundary layer and their values on the wall in the inviscid flow. This vortex interaction is usually accompanied by a growth in the frictional stress and heat flux at the wall [2, 3]. In three-dimensional flows in which the spreading of the gas on the windward sections of the body causes the high-entropy layer to become narrower, the vortex interaction can be expected to be particularly important. The first investigations in this direction [4–6] studied the attachment lines of a three-dimensional boundary layer. The method proposed in the present paper for calculating the heat transfer generalizes the approach realized in [5] for the attachment lines and makes it possible to take into account this effect on the complete surface of a blunt body for three-dimensional laminar, transition, or turbulent flow regime in the boundary layer.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 1, pp. 80–87, January–February, 1981.     

Recovery factors for a permeable surface and a gas surface film in a supersonic turbulent boundary layer

The recovery factor on a permeable surface has been experimentally determined at various rates of injection of air into a supersonic turbulent boundary layer. On the basis of an analysis of the solutions of the integral momentum and energy equations for a turbulent boundary layer an expression is obtained for the recovery factor. The recovery factor in the region of a protective gas surface film in a supersonic external flow has been experimentally determined.Moscow. Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR. Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 2, pp. 131–136, March–April, 1972.     

Allowance for longitudinal diffusion in the neighborhood of a discontinuity of catalytic surface properties

In the investigation of flow near surfaces with discontinuous changes in the catalytic properties the question arises of the applicability of parabolic boundary and viscous shock layer equations in the neighborhood of the discontinuity. In the present paper, three types of problem are solved in which longitudinal diffusion is taken into account. In the first an insertion with different catalytic properties is placed in the neighborhood of the stagnation point, in the second the discontinuity lines of the catalytic properties are perpendicular to the oncoming flow, while in the third they are parallel. On the main surface and on the insertion surface the heterogeneous catalytic reactions are assumed firstorder reactions with various rate constants whose values vary in a wide range. The data of the solution are compared with the solution obtained using the boundary layer approximation and the regions of influence of the longitudinal diffusion are estimated. In [1–4] a problem similar to the second one was solved by the numerical method of [1] and the Wiener-Hopf method for the case of transition from a noncatalytic to a perfectly catalytic surface and the region of applicability of the boundary layer was estimated [5].Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 4, pp. 99–105, July–August, 1986.     

Interaction between the boundary layer and a supersonic flow when part of the wall is rapidly heated

There have been many theoretical studies of aspects of the unsteady interaction of an exterior inviscid flow with a boundary layer [1–9]. The mathematical flow models obtained in these studies by the method of matched asymptotic expansions describe a wide range of phenomena observed experimentally. These include boundary layer separation near the hinge of a flap, the flow in the neighborhood of the trailing edge of an oscillating airfoil [1–2], and the development and propagation of perturbations in a boundary layer excited by an oscillating wall or some other way [3–5]. The present paper studies the interaction of an unsteady boundary layer with a supersonic flow when a small part of the surface of a body in the flow is rapidly heated.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 1, pp. 66–70, January–February, 1984.     

Nonlinear development of a wave in a boundary layer

In recent years definite progress has been achieved in the construction of theoretical models of nonlinear wave processes which lead to a transition from laminar to turbulent flow [1, 2]. At the same time, there is a shortage of actual experimental material, especially for flows in a boundary layer. Fairly thorough experimental studies have been carried out only on the initial stage of the development of disturbances in a boundary layer, which is satisfactorily describable by the linear theory of hydrodynamic stability. In evaluating the theoretical models of subsequent stages of the transition, investigators have been forced to turn chiefly to much earlier experiments carried out by the United States National Bureau of Standards [3, 4], in which the main attention was concentrated on the three-dimensional structure of the transition region. The present investigation was undertaken for the purpose of obtaining detailed data on the structure of the flow in the transition region when there is disturbance in the laminar boundary layer of a two-dimensional wave. In order to make the two-dimensional nonlinear effects stand out more clearly, the amplitude of the wave was specified to be fairly large from the very outset. In contrast to earlier investigations, the main attention was centered on the study of the spectral composition of the disturbance field.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 3, pp. 49–58, May–June, 1977.     

Effect of moving wall on the three-dimensional separation of an incompressible fluid in front of an obstacle

The problem of the laminar boundary layer formed on the surface of a semiinfinite plate with a perpendicular semi-infinite circular cylinder in a uniform steady incompressible flow normal to the leading edge is considered. Near its sharp edge the plate has a stationary part and, located at a finite distance further downstream, a part of the surface moving downstream at a constant velocity. The first-order boundary layer equations are solved numerically by an implicit finite-difference method. The effect of the moving wall on the variation of the dimensions of the separation zone ahead of the obstacle over a broad range of the governing parameters and flow characteristics is investigated. The flow in the laminar boundary layer on the surface of a plate ahead of such an obstacle was calculated in [1, 2] without motion of the wall. Data on the structure of the separated flow are given in [3].Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 6, pp. 49–53, November–December, 1990.