Boundary layer
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The boundary layer is the layer of fluid in the immediate vicinity of a bounding surface. In the atmosphere the boundary layer is the air layer near the ground affected by diurnal heat, moisture or momentum transfer to or from the surface. On an aircraft wing the boundary layer is the part of the flow close to the wing. The Boundary layer effect occurs at the field region in which all changes occur in the flow pattern. The boundary layer distorts surrounding nonviscous flow. It is a phenonomen of viscous forces. This effect is related to the Leidenfrost effect and the Reynolds number.
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Aerodynamics
The aerodynamic boundary layer was discovered by Ludwig Prandtl at the beginning of the twentieth century and represents one of the greatest discoveries in the history of aerodynamics. It is particularly important in aerodynamics because it is directly responsible for the drag experienced by a body immersed in a fluid. In high-performance designs, such as sailplanes and commercial transport aircraft, much attention is paid to controlling the behavior of the boundary layer to minimize drag. Two effects must to be considered. First, the boundary layer adds to the effective thickness of the body, through the displacement thickness hence increasing the pressure drag. Secondly, the shear forces at the surface of the wing create skin friction drag.
At high Reynolds numbers, typical of full-sized aircraft, it is desirable to have a laminar boundary layer. This results in a lower skin friction due to the characteristic velocity profile of laminar flow. However, the boundary layer inevitably thickens and becomes less stable as the flow develops along the body, and eventually becomes turbulent, the process known as boundary layer transition. One way of dealing with this problem is to suck the boundary layer away through a porous surface. This can result in a reduction in drag, but is usually impractical due to the mechanical complexity involved.
At lower Reynolds numbers, such as those seen with model aircraft, it is relatively easy to maintain laminar flow. This gives low skin-friction, which is desirable. However, the same velocity profile which gives the laminar boundary layer its low skin friction also causes it to be badly affected by adverse pressure gradients. As the pressure begins to recover over the rear part of the wing chord, a laminar boundary layer tends to separate from the surface. Such separation causes a large increase in the pressure drag, since it greatly increases the effective size of the wing section. In these cases, it can be advantageous to deliberately trip the boundary layer into turbulence at a point prior to the location of laminar separation. The fuller velocity profile of the turbulent boundary layer allows it to sustain the adverse pressure gradient without separating. Thus, although the skin friction is increased, overall the drag is decreased. Special wing sections have also been designed which tailor the pressure recovery so that laminar separation is reduced or even eliminated. This represents an optimum compromise between the pressure drag from flow separation and skin friction the induced turbulence.
Boundary layer equations
The deduction of the boundary layer equations was perhaps one of the most important advances in aerodynamics. Using an order of magnitude analysis, the well-known governing Navier-Stokes equations of viscous fluid flow can be greatly simplified within the boundary layer. Notably, the characteristic of the partial differential equations (PDE) becomes parabolic, rather than the elliptical form of the full Navier-Stokes equations. This greatly simplifies the solution of the equations. By making the boundary layer approximation, the flow is divided into an inviscid portion (which is easy to solve by a number of methods) and the boundary layer, which is governed by an easier to solve PDE.
The approximation states that, for a sufficiently high Reynolds number the flow over a surface can be divided into an outer region of inviscid flow unaffected by viscosity (the majority of the flow), and a region close to the surface where viscosity is important (the boundary layer). For a two-dimensional fluid flow, let <math> u_0 <math> be the fluid velocity outside the boundary layer and <math> u <math> and <math> v <math> be streamwise and transverse velocities respectively inside the boundary layer, where <math> u <math> and <math> u_0 <math> are parallel. Then the equation of motion for an incompressible fluid is given by
- <math> u{\partial u \over \partial x}+v{\partial u \over \partial y}=u_0{\partial u_0 \over \partial x}+{\nu}{\partial^2 u\over \partial x^2} <math>
where
- <math>\nu<math> is the kinematic viscosity of the fluid at a point;
with the boundary condition
- <math> {\partial u\over\partial x}+{\partial v\over\partial y}=0 <math>
For a flow in which the static pressure <math> p <math> does not change in the direction of the flow then
- <math> {\partial p\over\partial x}=0 <math>
so <math> u_0 <math> remains constant.
Therefore, the equation of motion simplifies to become
- <math> u{\partial u \over \partial x}+v{\partial u \over \partial y}={\nu}{\partial^2 u\over \partial x^2} <math>
This approximation is used in a variety of practical flow problems of scientific and engineering interest.
Other Uses
This effect is exploited in the Tesla turbine.
External link
- National Science Digital Library - Boundary Layer (http://www.nsdl.arm.gov/Library/glosInsert non-formatted text heresary.shtml#boundary_layer)
- Moore, Franklin K., "Displacement effect of a three-dimensional boundary layer (http://naca.larc.nasa.gov/reports/1953/naca-report-1124/)". NACA Report 1124, 1953.
- Benson, Tom, "Boundary layer (http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/airplane/boundlay.html)". NASA Glenn Learning Technologies.
- Boundary layer separation (http://www.maths.man.ac.uk/~ruban/blsep.html)es:capa límite