On the Breakdown of a Wave Packet Disturbance in a Laminar Boundary Layer

  • Jin Tso
  • Shing-Ing Chang
  • Ron F. Blackwelder
Conference paper
Part of the International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics book series (IUTAM)

Summary

The evolution and breakdown of a point disturbance in a flat-plate boundary layer has been examined. For a weak initial disturbance intensity, the breakdown was of the wave packet type. It occurred far downstream of the excitation station, after the decay of the transient disturbance and strong nonlinear distortions of the wave packet. Instantaneous velocity disturbances in the spanwise and normal directions revealed that the breakdown first occurred roughly 3δ* away from the centerline and lδ* above the wall, in a skewed shear region where the normal and spanwise shears were both strong and comparable.

Keywords

Wave Packet Ensemble Average Laminar Boundary Layer Initial Disturbance Turbulent Spot 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. 1.
    Amini, J.; Lespinard, G.: Experimental study of an ‘incipient spot’ in a transitional boundary layer. Phys. of Fluids 25 (1982) 1743–1750.ADSCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  2. 2.
    Breuer, K.S.: The development of a localized disturbance in a boundary layer. Ph.D. thesis. MIT 1988.Google Scholar
  3. 3.
    Caster, M.: A theoretical model for the development of a wave packet in a laminar boundary layer. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A 347 (1975) 271–289.ADSCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  4. 4.
    Caster, M.; Grant, I.: An experimental investigation of the formation and development of a wave packet in a laminar boundary layer. Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A 347 (1975) 253–269.ADSCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  5. 5.
    Caster, M.: The physical processes causing breakdown to turbulence. 12th Naval Symposium, Washington, (1978) 22.Google Scholar
  6. 6.
    Glezer, A.; Katz, Y.; Wygnanski I.: On the breakdown of the wave packet trailing a turbulent spot in a laminar boundary layer. J. Fluid Mech. 198 (1989) 1–26.ADSCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  7. 7.
    Gutmark E.; Blackwelder R. F.: On the structure of turbulent spot in a heated laminar boundary layer. Experiments in Fluids 5 (1987) 217–229.ADSGoogle Scholar
  8. 8.
    Tso, J.; Blackwelder, R. F.: Transition of wave packets in a flat-plate laminar boundary layer. Bull. Amer. Phys. Soc. 30 (1985) 1748.Google Scholar

Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1990

Authors and Affiliations

  • Jin Tso
    • 1
  • Shing-Ing Chang
    • 1
  • Ron F. Blackwelder
    • 1
  1. 1.Department of Aerospace EngineeringUniversity of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesUSA

Personalised recommendations