How Do We Solve the Boundary-Layer Equations?

Examine again the boundary-layer equations given by Equations (17.28) to (17.31). With these equations, are we still in the same “soup” as we are with the complete Navier-Stokes equations, in that the equations are a coupled system of nonlinear partial differential equations for which no general analytical solution has been obtained to date? The answer is partly yes, but with a difference. Because the boundary-layer equations are simpler than the Navier-Stokes equations, especially the boundary – layer у-momentum equation, Equation (17.30), which states that at any axial location along the surface the pressure is constant in the direction normal to the surface, there is more hope of obtaining meaningful solutions for the flow inside a boundary layer. For almost one hundred years, engineers and scientists have “nudged” the boundary layer equations in many different ways, and have come up with reasonable solutions for a number of practical applications. The most complete and authoritative book on such solutions is by Hermann Schlichting (Reference 42).

In Chapters 18 and 19 we will discuss some of these solutions—their technique and some practical results. Solutions of the boundary layer equations can be classi­fied into two groups: (1) classical solutions, some of which date back to 1908, and (2) numerical solutions obtained by modern computational fluid dynamic techniques. In the subsequent chapters, we will show examples from both groups. In addition to this subdivision based on the solution technique, boundary-layer solutions also subdivide on a physical basis into laminar boundary layers and turbulent boundary layers. This subdivision is natural for the reasons discussed in Section 15.2—the nature of turbulent flow is quite different than that of laminar flow. Indeed, for certain types of flow problems, exact solutions have been obtained for laminar boundary layers. To date, no exact solution has been obtained for turbulent boundary layers, because we still do not have a complete understanding of turbulence, and hence all turbulent boundary-layer solutions to date have depended on the use of some type of approximate model of turbulence. These contrasts will become more clear when you read Chapter 18, which deals with laminar boundary layers, and Chapter 19, which deals with turbulent boundary layers. You will see that laminar boundary-layer theory is well in hand, but turbulent boundary-layer theory is not. In some sense, what a

pity that nature always tends toward turbulent flow, and hence the vast majority of practical boundary-layer problems deal with turbulent boundary layers—if it were the other way around, the engineering calculation of skin friction and aerodynamic heating at the surface would be much simpler and more reliable.

Finally, we note what is meant by a “boundary-layer solution.” The solution of Equations (17.28) to (17.31) yields the velocity and temperature profiles throughout the boundary layer. However, the practical information we want is the solution for xw and qw, the surface shear stress and heat transfer, respectively. These are given by

where the subscript w denotes conditions at the wall. Question: Where do values of (du/dy)w and (dT/dy)w come from? Answer: From the velocity and temperature profiles obtained from a solution of the boundary layer equations, where the profiles evaluated at the wall provide both (du/dy)w and (dT/dy)w. Hence in order to obtain the values for xw and q„ along the wall, which are usually considered the engineering results of most importance, we first have to solve the boundary-layer equations for the velocity and temperature profiles throughout the boundary layer, which by themselves usually are of lesser practical interest.

17.5 Summary

Return to the road map given in Figure 17.2, and make certain that you feel at home with the material represented by each box. The highlights of our discussion of bound­ary layers are summarized as follows: