Instability of three-dimensional boundary layers due to streamline curvature

Investigated are the fundamental roles of the curvature of external streamlines in the stability of three-dimensional boundary layers, the partial differential equations governing small disturbances superimposed on the basic flows are modeled by a simple system of ordinary differential equations, which include a nondimensional parameter denoting magnitude of the streamline curvature. The eigenvalue problem posed by the model equations is numerically solved to evaluate effects of this parameter on critical Reynolds numbers of the Falkner-Skan-Cooke family of three-dimensional velocity profiles. Computational results predict the possibility of a new instability, essentially due to the streamline curvature, of the centrifugal type similar to the Taylor-Görtler instability caused by a concave curvature of the wall.