SPECULATIVE CONSIDERATION ON HIGH-FREQUENCY INSTABILITY OF THE LAMINAR BOUNDARY LAYER AND ITS EFFECT ON THE DESIGN OF STABILIZING COATINGS

Abstract

Recent theoretical work indicates the possibility of a high-frequency instability of the laminar boundary layer. Recent experimental findings provide evidence for the existence of a high-frequency instability of the laminar boundary layer. The critical frequency of the experimentally indicated high-frequency instability is approximately 40% of the freestream velocity divided by the laminar-boundarylayer thickness or about 25 times the most critical frequency of the Tollmien-Schlichting waves. The wave length of the high-frequency instability is about 1.9 times the laminarboundary-layer thickness or approximately 1/8 the wave length of the most critical TollmienSchlichting waves. The eddies resulting from the high-frequency instability are spaced much closer to the surface than to each other, which makes the damping of the high-frequency instability of the laminar boundary layer by an appropriate stabilizing coating a promising possibility. (Author)

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1962
Accession Number
AD0294703

Entities

People

  • M. O. Kramer

Organizations

  • RAND Corporation

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Boundary Layer
  • Boundary Layer Flow
  • Boundary Layer Transition
  • Flow
  • Flow Separation
  • Free Stream
  • Frequency
  • Government Procurement
  • Laminar Boundary Layer
  • Layers
  • Pressure Distribution
  • Pressure Gradients
  • Reynolds Number
  • Steady Flow
  • Turbulence
  • United States

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Atmospheric Science / Meteorology, specifically Wind Wave Turbulence.
  • Fluid Mechanics and Fluid Dynamics.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Hall-Effect Thruster