FLOW OVER IMMERSED BODIES
BOUNDARY
L AYER
LEC-5
BOUNDARY LAYER 2
CHARACTERISTICS
• Boundary layer characteristics
• Approximate solution
• Effect of pressure gradient
• Turbulent boundary layer
BO U N DA RY
L AY E R
C H A RAC T E R I S T I
CS
3
THE BOUNDARY LAYER CONCEPT 4
THE BOUNDARY LAYER CONCEPT
Potential flow
5
𝒅𝒖
𝝉=𝝁 =𝟎
𝒅𝒚
Boundary layer
𝒅𝒖
𝝉=𝝁 ≠𝟎
𝒅𝒚
The boundary layer is a thin layer of fluid near the surface in which
the velocity changes from zero at the surface to the free stream
value away from the surface. In other words, it is the layer where
THE CONCEPT OF BOUNDARY 6
LAYER
• Ludwig Prandtl found
through a lot of
experiments; when the
Reynolds number is 𝑼∞
large enough, the overall
flow can be partitioned
into two regions:
1. The ideal fluid flow area far away from the object. It is treated
according to the potential flow theory.
2. The viscous flow area, it is limited to the boundary layer. In this
area, the viscous force is of the same magnitude as the inertial force.
INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL FLOWS 7
• The boundary layer
determines the solid-fluid
interaction, e.g., the friction
coefficient and drag force.
• Thus, manipulation of such
interaction, e.g., drag
reduction is held by
boundary layer control.
BOUNDARY LAYER THICKNESS 8
• The boundary layer thickness is defined as the distance from the
surface to where the fluid velocity reaches 95% of the
upstream/free-stream velocity.
BOUNDARY LAYER THICKNESS 9
The thickness of the boundary layer increases along the
length of the plate. Physically, fluid deceleration is transferred
successively from one fluid layer to the next by viscous shear
PIPE ENTRANCE REGION 10
Viscous region
Inviscid core
Boundary layer
The thickness of the boundary layer increases along the
length of the plate. Physically, fluid deceleration is transferred
successively from one fluid layer to the next by viscous shear
BOUNDARY LAYER THICKNESS 11
• Take an example of air flow at 3 m/s
velocity. The BL thickness at x = 1
m is
𝑼∞ 𝜹∝ √ 𝒙
𝒙
12
𝑼∞ 𝑼∞
• As the Reynolds number increases
(by increasing , for example), the
boundary layer thickness becomes
smaller.
• With a higher main-stream velocity, at
any position along the plate the
boundary layer thickness is less
because it has had less time to
𝑼∞
FLOW PAST A 13
CIRCULAR
•CYLINDER
The larger the Reynolds
number, the smaller the
region of the flow field in
which viscous effects are
important.
• For objects that are not
sufficiently streamlined (blunt
bodies), however, an
additional characteristic of the
flow is observed. This is
termed flow separation.
FLOW PAST A CIRCULAR CYLINDER 14
BOUNDARY LAYER & WAKE
REGION
Boundary Layer
Wake region
As the boundary layer collapses to the surface, however, the wake
region is maximum.
WALL SHEAR STRESS AND 15
FRICTION DRAG
• The velocity gradient at the wall is less
downstream than upstream, indicating
that the wall shear stress
decreases along the plate.
𝜏𝑤 𝜏𝑤 𝜏𝑤
APPROXIMAT
E SOLUTION
16
ORDER OF MAGNITUDE ANALYSIS 17
• In the boundary layer, the inertial
force of the fluid layer is
• The viscous force is
𝑼∞
According to the BL assumption ,
then
𝛿 5
=
𝑥 √ 𝑅 𝑒𝑥
EFFECT OF
PRESSURE
GRADIENT
20
FAVOURABLE PRESSURE 21
GRADIENT
• The channel contraction decreases the thickness of the
boundary layer.
• The decrease in boundary-layer thickness is attributable to:
1. The two-to-one decrease in flow area.
P 𝝏𝒑
<𝟎
𝝏𝒙 P
h
FAVOURABLE PRESSURE 22
GRADIENT
2. Due to the high flow
velocity downstream
the contraction
portion, there is little
time for lateral
diffusion of the
frictional shear
stress through the
flow.
𝝏𝒑
< 𝟎→ 𝝉 𝒘 ↑
𝝏𝒙
ADVERSE PRESSURE GRADIENT 23
ADVERSE PRESSURE GRADIENT 24
• The increasing pressure in the free stream causes a
corresponding decrease in the free-stream velocity, increases
the boundary-layer thickness, and decreases the wall
shear stress.
𝝏𝒑
P
𝝏𝒙
>𝟎 P
𝝉𝒘 𝝉𝒘
25
BOUNDARY LAYER SEPARATION 26
Flow separation
𝑷𝟎 𝑷𝟎 𝑷𝟎 𝒑 < 𝑷𝟎
𝚫 𝐩 𝐮𝐩= 𝚫 𝐩 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝚫 𝐩 𝐮𝐩= 𝚫 𝐩 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 + 𝚫 𝐩 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧
Inviscid flow Viscous flow
BOUNDARY LAYER SEPARATION 27
• The boundary layer cannot
sustain a larger positive
pressure gradient without
separating from the wall.
• At the separation point the
wall shear stress is zero.
• Downstream of this point the
fluid is no longer in contact
with the wall and is
separated from it by a region 𝝉 𝒘 =𝟎
TURBULENT
BOUNDARY
L AYER
28
TRANSITION 29
• Moving down the
plate increases . At
some point,
infinitesimal
disturbances in the
flow begin to grow,
and the boundary
layer cannot remain
laminar—it begins a
transition process
toward turbulent flow.
TRANSITION 30
• Moving down the
plate increases . At
some point,
infinitesimal
disturbances in the
flow begin to grow,
and the boundary
layer cannot remain
laminar—it begins a
transition process
toward turbulent flow.
31
Turbulent spots
Laminar flow
Tollmien–Schlichting wave
32
• Transition requires imposing instabilities (plate roughness,
pressure gradients, vibration, sound, etc.) on the flow field.
• Small disturbances either grow or decay, depending on where the
disturbance is introduced into the flow.
• Disturbances @ die out BL returns to laminar flow.
• Disturbances@ grow BL transforms into turbulence.
TURBULENCE TRIGGERING 33
• In some cases, engineers install rough sandpaper or trip wires
along the surface, to force transition at a desired location.
TURBULENCE TRIGGERING 34
TURBULENT BOUNDARY LAYER 35
MOMENTUM EXCHANGE 36
• In the TBL high-momentum fluid is transported toward the plate, and low-
momentum fluid is transported away from the plate, by unsteady random
rotary motions associated with vorticity aligned in the flow direction.
• There is more momentum near the wall in the TBL, even though the TBL
is thicker.
TBL THICKNESS 37
LBL
Transition
TBL
LAMINAR X TURBULENT
Outer
BL 38
Layer
• Outer layer
Large thickness
low velocity gradient
small shear
stress
• Inner layer
Small thickness Inner
Layer
high velocity gradient
𝑢/ 𝑈 ∞
39
PIPE
FLOW
Outer
Layer
Inner
Layer
Shorter developing region
higher friction factor
EFFECT OF TURBULENCE ON BL 40
SEPARATION
• The extra momentum near the wall in the TBL enabled it to
withstand the unfavourable pressure gradient without
separating.
• Similarly, TBL flow on the upper surface of an aerofoil delays
BOUNDARY LAYER SEPARATION 41
CHARACTERISTICS OF TBL 42
Better mass transport
Enhanced heat transfer
Higher friction
CHARACTERISTICS OF TBL 43
FRICTION
SUMMARY 44
• Boundary Layer
– Boundary layer characteristics
– Approximate solution
– Effect of pressure gradient
– Turbulent boundary layer
