Experimental study of evolution of disturbances in a supersonic boundary layer on a swept-wing model under controlled conditions

Experimental data on stability of a three-dimensional supersonic boundary layer on a swept wing are presented. Evolution of artificial wave trains was studied. The experiments were conducted for Mach numberM=2.0 and unit Reynolds numberRe ₁=6.6·10⁶m⁻¹ on a swept-wing model with a lenticular profile and a40° sweep angle of the leading edge at zero incidence. Excitation of high-frequency disturbances caused by secondary-flow instability at a high initial amplitude was observed. It is shown that the evolution of disturbances at frequencies of10, 20, and30 kHz is similar to the development of travelling waves for the case of subsonic velocities. Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Siberian Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk 630090. Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 41, No. 1, pp. 50–56, January–February, 2000.     

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.     

Experimental study of nonlinear processes in a swept-wing boundary layer at the mach number M=2

Results of experiments aimed at studying the linear and nonlinear stages of the development of natural disturbances in the boundary layer on a swept wing at supersonic velocities are presented. The experiments are performed on a swept wing model with a lens-shaped airfoil, leading-edge sweep angle of 45°, and relative thickness of 3%. The disturbances in the flow are recorded by a constant-temperature hot-wire anemometer. For determining the nonlinear interaction of disturbances, the kurtosis and skewness are estimated for experimentally obtained distributions of the oscillating signal over the streamwise coordinate or along the normal to the surface. The disturbances are found to increase in the frequency range from 8 to 35 kHz in the region of their linear development, whereas enhancement of high-frequency disturbances is observed in the region of their nonlinear evolution. It is demonstrated that the growth of disturbances in the high-frequency spectral range (f > 35 kHz) is caused by the secondary instability.     

Development of three-dimensional disturbances in a boundary layer

In the region of transition from a two-dimensional laminar boundary layer to a turbulent one, three-dimensional flow occurs [1–3]. It has been proposed that this flow is formed as the result of nonlinear interaction of two-dimensional and three-dimensional disturbances predicted by linear hydrodynamic stability theory. Using many simplifications, [4, 5] performed a calculation of this interaction for a free boundary layer and a boundary layer on a wall with a very coarse approximation of the velocity profile. The results showed some argreement with experiment. On the other hand, it is known that disturbances of the Tollmin—Schlichting wave type can be observed at sufficiently high amplitude. This present study will use the method of successive linearization to calculate the primary two- and three-dimensional disturbances, and also the average secondary flow occurring because of nonlinear interaction of the primary disturbances. The method of calculation used is close to that of [4, 5], the disturbance parameters being calculated on the basis of a Blazius velocity profile. A detailed comparison of results with experimental data [1] is made. It developed that at large disturbance amplitude the amplitude growth rate differs from that of linear theory, while the spatial distribution of disturbances agree s well with the distribution given by the natural functions and their nonlinear interaction. In calculating the secondary flow an experimental correction was made to the amplitude growth rate.     

Development of slow disturbances in a hypersonic boundary layer

The mechanisms of development of slow time-dependent disturbances in the wall region of a hypersonic boundary layer are established and a diagram of the disturbed flow patterns is plotted; the corresponding nonlinear boundary value problem is formulated for each of these regimes. It is shown that the main factors that form the disturbed flow are the gas enthalpy near the body surface, the local viscous-inviscid interaction level, and the type, either subsonic or supersonic, of the boundary layer as a whole. Numerical and analytical solutions are obtained in the linear approximation. It is established that enhancement of the local viscous-inviscid interaction or an increased role for the main supersonic region of the boundary layer makes the disturbed flow by and large “supersonic”: the upstream propagation of the disturbances becomes weaker, while their downstream growth is amplified. Contrariwise, local viscous-inviscid interaction attenuation or an increased role for the main subsonic region of the boundary layer has the opposite effect. Surface cooling favors an increased effect of the main region of the boundary layer while heating favors an increased wall region effect. It is also found that in the regimes considered disturbances travel from the turbulent flow region downstream of the disturbed region under consideration counter to the oncoming flow, which may be of considerable significance in constructing the nonlinear stability theory.     

Three-wave resonance interaction of disturbances in a boundary layer

The three-frequency resonance of Tolman-Schlichting waves, one of which propagates along the stream while the other two propagate at adjacent angles to it, is investigated as a function of the spectrum and initial intensity in incompressible flows of the boundary-layer type within the framework of a weakly nonlinear theory. In the parallel-flow approximation such an interaction leads to the formation of unstable self-oscillations. The spatial evolution of the associated disturbances is studied with allowance for the self-similar deformation of the velocity profile of the main flow. It is shown that such development can lead to a sharp amplification of the oscillations, primarily of those propagating at an angle to the flow. The role of the effects under consideration in the transitional process and the connection with experimental data are discussed. As experiments [1, 2] show, in the process of a transition from a laminar boundary layer to a turbulent region, well described by the linear theory of hydrodynamic stability, there first comes a section of the excitation of harmonics of a Tolman-Schlichting wave, the appearance of three-dimensional structures, and a rapid growth in the intensity of low-frequency oscillations. There is no doubt that in this section the phenomena are dependent on the nonlinear character of the development with disturbances. The resonance interaction of wave triads can play an important role in this. For small enough amplitudes such an interaction is described by a first-order theory [3, 4], and in the general case the nonlinear effects associated with them should occur sooner than others. The importance of resonance triads for the explanation of the development of three-dimensional structures in a layer and the generation of intense pulsations has already been emphasized in [5, 6]. The clarification of the properties of the evolution of resonantly interacting disturbances therefore is important for an understanding of this transitional process.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 78–84, September–October, 1978.The authors thank V. Ya. Levchenko for a discussion of the work.     

On secondary instability with respect to three dimensional subharmonic disturbances in boundary layer

The general equations of secondary instability with respect to three-dimensional subharmonic disturbances are derived and applied to Blasius boundary layer in the present paper. The theoretical results of evolution and spatial distribution of subharmonic disturbances are compared with experimental data. The results show the important role of the process of route to transition in low-disturbance environments, and indicate that spatial mode is more rational than temporal mode. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China Current address: Graduate School, University of Science and Technology of China, Beijing, 100039     

Experimental investigation of separation of turbulent boundary layer in vicinity of a step

The results of an experimental investigation of the separation of a turbulent boundary layer in the vicinity of a step on a flat plate at M = 2 and 3, and Re = U/v = (26–66)·10⁶ m^–1 are given. The step height was varied from 3 to 16 mm, which corresponded to the range of relative heights 1.1 h/ 7.6, where is the thickness of the boundary layer at the point at which the pressure starts to increase in front of the step. The obtained data for the pressure distribution in front of the step, and on its face and top surface, and the results of probe measurements in the separation and adjacent regions provide a more accurate scheme of the flow. The obtained data are compared with the results of other investigations.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 73–80, September–October, 1977.We express our thanks to A. M. Kharitonov for valuable comments made during the discussion of this work, and also to M. A. Gol'dfel'd for kindly providing the experimental data for axisytnmetric steps.     

Experimental investigation of the development of harmonic disturbances in the boundary layer on a flat plate at mach number M=4

The development of three-dimensional wave packets artificially introduced into a boundary layer has been experimentally investigated. The measurements were made by the hot-wire anemometer method in the boundary layer on a flat plate at a Mach number M = 4. The artificial disturbances were introduced into the boundary layer by means of an electric discharge. A Fourier analysis of the data made it possible to obtain the wave characteristics of the plane waves. The composition of the disturbances was analyzed and those most dangerous from the instability standpoint were identified. The data obtained are compared with the results of experiments carried out at M = 2. The differences in the data are discussed.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 6, pp. 54–58, November–December, 1990.     

Growth of artificially induced disturbances in a supersonic boundary layer

This work proposes a method of inducing artificial disturbances of adjustable amplitude in a supersonic boundary layer. Using the proposed method, an experimental study is made of the development of a three-dimensional wave packet of low intensity at a frequency of 20 kHz in the boundary layer of a flat plate at Mach number M = 2.0. The Fourier components of the wave packet are determined. The data obtained are compared with the results of calculating the linear stability of the supersonic boundary layer in a plane-parallel flow approximation.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 37–43, September–October, 1984.     

Spatial structure of two-dimensional wave disturbances in a boundary layer

In [1] on the basis of a numerical integration of the Navier-Stokes equations the authors investigated the nonlinear evolution of two-dimensional disturbances of the traveling wave type in the boundary layer on a flat plate. The process of interaction of two waves with different wave numbers and initial amplitudes was examined. In this article the study of these interactions is continued. Special attention is paid to the spatial structure of the disturbances with respect to the cross-flow coordinate (with respect to the longitudinal coordinate the disturbances are assumed to be periodic) at various moments of time. It is shown that if the initial amplitude of one of the waves is sufficiently large, i.e., exceeds a certain threshold value, an undamped quasisteady regime is established during the interaction process. At lower amplitudes the process degenerates and the waves develop independently. In these two cases the evolution of the spatial distribution of the perturbation amplitudes is qualitatively different. In the first case the shape of the amplitude distribution varies only slightly with time, while in the second it depends importantly on the parameters of the wave numbers and the Reynolds number. When the parameters are such that one of the finite-amplitude waves is damped, its amplitude distribution rapidly evolves into the form characteristic of disturbances of the continuous spectrum of the linear stability problem.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 19–24, September–October, 1990.     

Resonance properties of two-dimensional wave disturbances in a boundary layer

The nonlinear development of disturbances of the traveling wave type in the boundary layer on a flat plate is examined. The investigation is restricted to two-dimensional disturbances periodic with respect to the longitudinal space coordinate and evolving in time. Attention is concentrated on the interactions of two waves of finite amplitude with multiple wave numbers. The problem is solved by numerically integrating the Navier-Stokes equations for an incompressible fluid. The pseudospectral method used in the calculations is an extension to the multidimensional case of a method previously developed by the authors [1, 2] in connection with the study of nonlinear wave processes in one-dimensional systems. Its use makes it possible to obtain reliable results even at very large amplitudes of the velocity perturbations (up to 20% of the free-stream velocity). The time dependence of the amplitudes of the disturbances and their phase velocities is determined. It is shown that for a fairly large amplitude of the harmonic and a particular choice of wave number and Reynolds number the interacting waves are synchronized. In this case the amplitude of the subharmonic grows strongly and quickly reaches a value comparable with that for the harmonic. As distinct from the resonance effects reported in [3, 4], which are typical only of the three-dimensional problem, the effect described is essentially two-dimensional.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 2, pp. 37–44, March–April, 1990.     

Sensitivity of a supersonic boundary layer to acoustic disturbances

The results obtained by the authors in [1] are extended to the case of arbitrary angles of incidence of the external wave. This is not a trivial generalization, since the acoustic scattering undergoes a qualitative change. It is possible to distinguish two excitation channels: the first is connected with the diffraction of the acoustic wave by the spatial inhomogeneity resulting from the displacing action of the boundary layer, and the second with the presence of concentrated acoustic field sources associated with the scattering of the wave at the leading edge. The latter makes the principal contribution to the initial amplitude of the unstable modes when the angles of incidence of the sound are substantially different from zero. At low angles of incidence there is a singularity which can be revealed by introducing narrow intervals in the neighborhood of the limiting values of the wave numbers, where the two excitation channels are approximately equivalent. It is possible to obtain composite expressions for the initial amplitudes of the unstable modes uniformly valid for all angles of incidence of the acoustic wave.Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 1, pp. 40–47, January–February, 1992.     

Interaction between a supersonic boundary layer and acoustic disturbances

The development of disturbances in a boundary layer that have been induced by an external acoustic field are investigated. The problem is considered in the linear formulation. It is shown that the oscillations inside the supersonic boundary layer can have several times the intensity of the external disturbances. The susceptibility of the boundary layer to the acoustic disturbances increases with increasing Mach number. Cooling of the surface leads to a small decrease in the intensity of the longitudinal velocity oscillations in the layer. The effect of the parameters of the acoustic wave is considered, i.e., the effect of the frequency and phase velocity on the development of the disturbances.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 6, pp. 51–56, November–December, 1977.