Second-order effects in unsteady laminar compressible three-dimensional stagnation-point boundary layers

The flow, heat and mass transfer at the stagnation point of a three-dimensional body in unsteady laminar compressible fluid with variable properties have been studied using a second-order boundary-layer theory when the basic potential flow admits selfsimilarity. Both nodal and saddle point regions have been considered. The equations governing the flow have been solved numerically using an implicit finite-difference scheme. It is observed that the enhancement or reduction in the skin friction and heat transfer due to the second-order boundary layers depends upon the values of the parameter characterizing the unsteadiness in the free-stream velocity, the nature of the stagnation point, the variation of the density-viscosity product across the boundary layer, mass transfer and the wall temperature. The suction increases the skin friction and heat transfer whereas injection does the opposite.