Boundary Layer on a Flat Plate: Blasius Solution

from Kundu’s book

Assuming displacement of streamlines is negligible →u = U = constant

everywhere, as if the boundary didn’t exist
u u u 1 p
The irrotational flow, according to Euler’s equation: t  u  w  
x z  x
p
0
x = 0 @ u = constant
The complete set of equations for Boundary Layer are:
u u  2u p u w
u w  g  0
x z z 2 z x z

uz   U @ x  0 all z  
L
U
u  w  0 @z  0 0  x  L
x
u U @
z
 0 x L  x  ~
 U
from Kundu’s book

z
The velocity profile in the boundary layer can be obtained with a SIMILARITY
SOLUTION – following Blasius, a student of Prandtl
Velocity distributions at various x can collapse into a single curve if the
solution has the form u
     
z x
U  x    x  ~
U
from Kundu’s book

For similarity solution, use streamfunction:

 
u w 
H z x
z
Using similarity form above:
z  
   udz    ud    U  d
0 0 0

  U   f  
df u
Using the definition:      f '
d U
 Applying streamfunction to: u u  2u u w
u w   0
  x z z 2 x z
u w 
z x
  2   2  3
  
z
 x  ~
x
z xz x z 2
z 3  x  U

   z
U @x 0   0 @z  0 U @ 
z z z 

  U    f     d f  d
  df u
 U f   U f  f 
 f   
x  dx x  dx d U

 2 d 
U f  f     Uf  d
xz dx z  dx
  2 Uf   3 Uf   d U 
 Uf     f  f   f 
z z 2  z 3 2  dx  
  d U 
 f  f   f 
 dx  

z
f and its derivatives do not explicitly depend on x : f     d  
0  x 

d U 1
Can be valid only if:  constant 
dx  2

1 d 3f 1 d 2f
1
 f  f   f  f   f  f   0  f 0
2 2 d 3
2 d 2

Blasius equation

initial and boundary conditions: f   df d  1 f 0  f 0  0

1 1 2 1 x x
 d  dx   
2U 2 2 U U
 d 3f 1 d 2f
 f 0
d 3
2 d 2

f    1 f 0  f 0  0

f    u U

u U vs   z 

% uses Matlab ODE45 - Runge-Kutta method

ti = 0.0; % start of integration
tf = 7.0; % final value of integration
bcinit = [0.0 0.0 0.33206]; % initial values
[eta f] = ode45('state',[ti tf],bcinit);

==================
function stst = state(eta,f)
stst = [ f(2) , f(3) , -0.5*f(1)*f(3)]';
Boundary Layer Thickness

Distance η where u = 0.99 U

η = 4.9
x
z   99    4.9
U

x
 99  4.9
U

 x2 4.9 x
 99  4.9 
Ux Ux


Rex
 99 4.9

x Re x
  x

x
 99  4.9
U

ν = 1×10-6 m2/s; U = 1 m/s

 
 u x
 *   1 dz  1.72
0
U U
displacement thickness

u  u  x
  0 U 1
 U
dz  0.664
 U
momentum thickness
 Skin Friction
Local wall shear stress using:
 u    2   2 Uf  Uf 0 
 0       
2   0  
 z  0  z  0 z 2
 

u
z
@z = 0
0.332 U
0  


x
 
U
Ux
Re x 


  Re x
U

0.332  U 2
0 
Re x
 Skin Friction Ux
Re x 
Local wall shear stress 

0.332  U 2
0 
Re x

Wall shear stress then changes as x -½ , i.e., decreases with increasing x

τ decreases because of thickening of δ
Local shear stress at wall can be expressed in terms of the local drag coefficient
0.332  U 2 1 0 0.664
0   Cf  U 2 Cf  
Re x 2 1 U 2 Re x
2

and the drag force per unit width of plate of length L

L
0.664  U 2L UL
D    0dx  ReL 
0 ReL 
So the drag force is proportional to the 3/2 power of velocity (U 2/U 1/2)
For high Re the drag force is proportional to the square of velocity

Now, the overall drag coefficient is defined as:

D 1.33 1
L
CD   CD   Cf dx
1  U 2L ReL L0
2

overall drag coefficient is average of local drag coefficient

 http://www.symscape.com/node/447

x
 99  4.9
U

Breakdown of Blasius solution

Transition from laminar to turbulent region occurs at Recr (~106)

Transition depends on a) surface roughness and b) shape of leading edge

Boundary layer grows faster in the turbulent region because of macroscopic

eddies