Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Boundary Layer Stability and Transition to Turbulence

What’s Special About It?

  • General Article
  • Published:
Resonance Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This article describes Roddam Narasimha’s work on the instability of laminar flow and the subsequent transition to turbulence in boundary layers. I try to explain to the reader why this problem is important and what insights came out of this work. Small portions of this article, not directly about the science, are written in an anecdotal fashion.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Suggested Reading

  1. L. Prandtl, Über Flüssigkeitsbewegung bei sehr kleiner Reibung, Verhandlinger 3, Int. Math. Kongr., Heidelberg, pp.484–491, 1904.

  2. H. Schlichting, Boundary Layer Theory, Seventh Edition, Mc Graw Hill, 1979.

  3. H. Blasius, Grenzschichten in Flüssigkeiten mit kleiner Reibung, Z. Angew. Math. Phys., Vol.56, pp.1–37, 1908.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Y. X. Wang, K.-S. Choi, M. Gaster, C. Atkin, V. Borodulin and Y. Kachanov, Early development of artificially initiated turbulent spots, J. Fluid Mech., Vol.916, A1, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2021.152.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. R. Narasimha, On the distribution of intermittency in the transition region of a boundary layer. Journal of the Aeronautical Sciences, Vol.24, pp.711–712, 1957.

    Google Scholar 

  6. S. Dhawan and R. Narasimha, Some properties of boundary layer flow during the transition from laminar to turbulent motion, J. Fluid Mech., Vol.3, No.4, pp.418–436, 1958.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. R. Govindarajan and R. Narasimha, Transition delay by surface heating: A zonal analysis for axisymmetric bodies, J. Fluid Mech., Vol.418, pp.77–100, 2000.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. R. Govindarajan and R. Narasimha, The role of residual non-turbulent disturbances on transition onset in two-dimensional boundary layers, J. Fluids Eng., Vol.113, No.1, pp.147–149, 1991.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. R. Narasimha and J. Dey, Transition-zone models for 2-dimensional boundary layers: A review, Sāadhanā, Vol.14, No.2, pp.93–120, 1989.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. J. Dey and R. Narasimha, Effect of favorable pressure gradient on transitional spot formation rate, Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, Vol.4, No.2, pp.192–197, 1991.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. R. Narasimha, Subtransitions in the transition zone, In Laminar Turbulent Transition, Ed. V. V. Kozlov, pp.141–151, Springer, 1984.

  12. R. Narasimha, The laminar-turbulent transition zone in the boundary layer, Progress in Aerospace Sciences, Vol.22, No.1, pp.29–80, 1985.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. N. Vinod and R. Govindarajan, Pattern of breakdown of laminar flow into turbulent spots, Physical Review Letters, Vol.93, No.11, pp.114501, 2004, doi: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.93.114501.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. N. Vinod and R. Govindarajan, The signature of laminar instabilities in the zone of transition to turbulence, Journal of Turbulence, Vol.8, pp.1–17, 2007, doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/14685240600851732.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. M. D. J. Barry and J. A. Ross, The flat plate boundary layer. Part 2. The effect of increasing thickness on stability, J. Fluid Mech., Vol.43, No.4, pp.813–818, 1970, doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022112070002768.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. M Bouthier, Stabilite lineaire des ecoulements presque paralleles. Part 11, La couche limite de Blasius, J. Me’c., Vol.12, pp.75–95, 1973.

    Google Scholar 

  17. C. H. Ling and W. C. Reynolds, Non-parallel flow corrections for the stability of shear flows, J. Fluid Mech., Vol.59, No.3, pp.571–591, 1973, doi:https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022112073001710.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. M Gaster, On the effects of boundary layer growth on flow stability, J. Fluid Mech., Vol.66, No.3, pp.465–480, 1974, doi:https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022112074000310.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. A. R. Wazzan, H. Taghavi and G. Keltner, Effect of boundary layer growth on stability of incompressible flat plate boundary layer with pressure gradient, Phys. Fluids, Vol.17, pp.1655–1660, 1974, https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1694951.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. W. S. Saric and A. H. Nayfeh, Nonparallel stability of boundary layer flows, Phys. Fluids, Vol.18, 945, 1975, https://doi.org/10.1063/1.861266.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. F. T. Smith, On the non-parallel flow stability of the Blasius boundary layer, Proc. Roy. Soc., 366, pp.91–109, 1979, https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.1979.0041.

    Google Scholar 

  22. H.F. Fasel and U. N. Kolzenman, Non-parallel stability of a flat plate boundary layer using the complete Navier-Stokes equations, J. Fluid Mech., Vol.221, No.31, pp.1–347, 1990, doi:https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022112090003585.

    Google Scholar 

  23. P. Bertolotti, T. Herbert and P. Spalart, Linear and nonlinear stability of the Blasius boundary layer, J. Fluid Mech., Vol.242, pp.441–474, 1992, doi:https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022112092002453.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. P. K. Sen Some recent developments in the theory of boundary layer instability. Sādhanā, 18, pp.387–403, 1993, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02744363.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. R. Govindarajan and R. Narasimha, Stability of spatially developing boundary layers in pressure gradients, J. Fluid Mech., Vol.300, pp.117–147, 1995, doi:https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022112095003636.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. R. Govindarajan and R. Narasimha, A low-order theory for stability of non-parallel boundary layer flows, Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond. A, Vol.453, pp.2537–2549, 1997, https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.1997.0135.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. R. Govindarajan and R. Narasimha, A low-order parabolic theory for two-dimensional boundary layer stability, Phys. Fluids, Vol.11, No.6, pp.1449–1458, 1999, https://doi.org/10.1063/1.870008.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. R. Narasimha and R. Govindarajan, Minimal composite equations and the stability of non-parallel flows, Current Science, Vol.79, No.6, pp.730–740, 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  29. R. Govindarajan and R. Narasimha, Estimating amplitude ratios in boundary layer stability theory: A comparison between two approaches, J. Fluid Mech., Vol.439, pp.403–412, 2001, doi:https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022112001004864.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bengaluru, 560 089, India

    Rama Govindarajan

Authors
  1. Rama Govindarajan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rama Govindarajan.

Additional information

Rama Govindarajan studies fluid dynamics problems of various kinds. She is a Professor in the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, TIFR Bengaluru.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Govindarajan, R. Boundary Layer Stability and Transition to Turbulence. Reson 26, 1403–1415 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-021-1243-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-021-1243-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation