An Experimental Study of the Flow of a Subsonic and Turbulent Boundary Layer Over a Forward-Facing Step

Citation

Stevenson, Robert George (1969) An Experimental Study of the Flow of a Subsonic and Turbulent Boundary Layer Over a Forward-Facing Step. Engineer's thesis, California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/BECB-V842. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechETD:etd-03302009-132132

Abstract

The incompressible flow over a normal step in a channel was investigated by making measurements of the static wall pressures upstream of the step, on the step face, and downstream of the step. Several parameters were varied in order to determine their influence on the pressure field. These parameters included the free stream velocity, step height, channel height, and the boundary layer thickness. Tests were made using water as the working medium. The results indicate that the pressure field in the vicinity of the step base is highly dependent on the ratio of step height to boundary layer thickness, and that the far field is influenced strictly by the ratio of channel height to step height. This distinction becomes more clear when the step is at least two times the boundary layer thickness.

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