Experiments on the Stability of Liquid Films Adjacent to Supersonic Boundary layers,
Abstract
The stability of liquid films adjacent to supersonic streams was investigated experimentally and compared with analytical results. Linear theories predict that films adjacent to supersonic streams are much more unstable than those adjacent to subsonic streams. However, our supersonic experimental observations incidated that the liquid film was stable with no entrainment under all test conditions. These conditions included laminar and turbulent boundary layers, a variation in the liquid Reynolds number (Based on flow rate) from 1 to 200, and a variation in the liquid Reynolds number (based on flow rate) from 1 to 200, and a variation in the free-stream unit Reynolds number from 1600000/m to 110,000,000/m. These experimental observations can be explained by nonlinear theories which predicts that linear unstable disturbances do not grow indefinitely, but achieve steady-state amplitudes in the supersonic case. The different aspects of the observed wave behavior such as frequency, wavelength, and amplitude are discussed and compared with previous experimental observations and the nonlinear theories. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 1976
- Accession Number
- ADA022383
Entities
People
- Ali. H. Nayfeh
- Spyridon G. Lekoudis
- William S. Saric
Organizations
- Virginia Tech