On the Possibility of Delaying Laminar-Turbulent Transition at High Reynolds Numbers by the Optimal Choice of Body Forces

The possibility of delaying laminar-turbulent transition on a flat plate in a longitudinal viscous incompressible flow by the optimal choice of the body force distribution in the boundary layer is discussed. It is shown that even for very high Reynolds numbers, Re 10¹⁰, a body force distribution can be found such that the corresponding boundary layer flow is absolutely stable, while the total drag of the body is less than that in the absence of body force action on the flow.