Hypersonic viscous-inviscid flow interactions including boundary layer separation on a flat plate at angle of attack

Citation

Hulcher, Gregory D. (1972) Hypersonic viscous-inviscid flow interactions including boundary layer separation on a flat plate at angle of attack. Engineer's thesis, California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/PZCP-FT88. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechTHESIS:09032010-111033039

Abstract

Experimental measurements of mean flow properties over the leeward surface and in the near wake of an adiabatic thin flat plate at an angle of attack of α = 15° were obtained at Mach 6 and Reynolds number based on the chord length of 186,000. The leading edge thickness is the predominant variable which affects the pre-separation interaction region. The effects of the large windward pressure, which separates the boundary layer at ℓ/L ≃ .7 are felt at points considerably forward of the separation point. The pressure rise in the separation region is similar to the rise on a flat plate-ramp model, and the data correlate according to Chapman's parameters. Also, the leeward side flow of the thin flat plate is found to be very similar to the flow over a wedge whose leeward side is inclined to the same angle. The wake centerline quantities behave similar to those behind a flat plate at zero angle of attack, but the streamwise gradients are less than those behind an inclined wedge. The flow appears to remain laminar throughout the entire field of measurement.

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