Real Fluid Dynamics for IPSA students at NCKU, 2015

Chapter 3: Laminar Boundary

Layer: Differential Analysis
Jiun-Jih Miau
Department of Aeronautics and
Astronautics
National Cheng Kung University (NCKU)

Introduction

Reading assignments:
1. Lighthill, M. L., Introduction, boundary layer theory, in Laminar
Boundary Layers, edited by L. Rosenhead, Chapter II, Oxford
University Press, 1963.
2. Prandtl, L., Motion of fluids with very little viscosity. NACA TM452,
1928, translated from a paper of Prantl of 1927 (1904).
3. Tani. I., History of boundary layer theory. Ann. Rev. Fluid Mech.,
Vol. 9, pp. 87-111, 1977.
4. White, F. M., Viscous fluid flow, Chapters 1 and 2. McGraw-Hill,
1974.

The boundary-layer assumption is applicable when the Reynolds number is

large. Cases of boundary layer phenomena:
1. wall-bounded shear layer
2. free shear layer: jet, wake and mixing layer

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Similarity solutions

Reading assignments:
1. White, F. M., Viscous fluid flow. McGraw-Hill, 1974, Chapter 4.
2. Schlichting, H., Boundary-layer theory. McGraw-Hill, 1968,
Chapter 7.

By introducing the similarity parameter, one can reduce the

PDE momentum equations to an ODE equation. Thus, the
solution can be obtained in a much easier manner. Physically
speaking, the existence of a similarity solution implies that the
corresponding flow behaves in a similar manner along the
streamwise direction. Namely, the flow properties after nondimensionalization hold the same regardless of the streamwise
locations.
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