Investigation of Effects of Surface Temperature and Single Roughness Elements on Boundary-Layer Transition

Abstract

The laminar boundaxy layer and the position of the transition point were investigated on a heated flat plate. It was found that the Reynolds number of transition decreases as the temperature of the plate is increased. It is shown from simple qualitative analytical considerations that the effect of variable viscosity in the boundary layer due to the temperature difference produces a velocity profile with an inflection point if the wall temperature is higher than the free-stream temperature. This profile is confirmed by measurements. Furthermore, it is confirmed that even with large deviation from the Blasius condition, the velocity and temperature profiles are very nearly identical, as predictable theoretically for a Prandtl number [sigma] of the order of 1.0 (for air, [sigma] = 0.76). The instability of inflection-point profiles is discussed. Studies of the flow in the wake of large, two-dimensional roughness elements are presented. It is shown that a boundary layer can separate and reattach itself to the wall without having transition take place.