MCG 4345 - Aerodynamics

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Professor S. Tavoularis

4.5 Thwaites Method for Laminar Boundary Layers

with Pressure Gradient
Momentum integral equation:
d
1 due
1
+
(2 + H) = Cf
dx ue dx
2

(1)

There are three unknowns: , H, Cf . Therefore, one needs two additional relationships to
solve for the three unknowns. As there are no additional physical laws than may be used,
such relationships would necessarily be empirical (i.e. from curve fitting to measurements).

Solution procedure:
Introduce a Reynolds number, based on the momentum thickness, as Re =
Introduce an lparameter as l =

ue

1
Re Cf
2

Introduce a dimensionless pressure gradient parameter (not the same as Pohlhausens

2 due
P ) as =
dx
Multiply the MIE by Re and rearrange terms to get
due
ue d 2
+ (2 + H)
=l
dx

dx
or

ue d(2 )
= 2[l (2 + H)]
dx
Use the following linear empirical relationship, which represents fairly accurately all
known exact solutions and experimental results
2[l (2 + H)] 0.45 6
Substitute this into the MIE, multiply all terms by u5e and rearrange the result to get
the integrable form
d 2 6
( ue ) = 0.45 u5e
dx
Integrate the previous equation to get the general solution
Z x
2 6
2
6
ue = (0)ue (0) + 0.45
u5e (x)dx
0

From this solution, one can find (x), given ue (x) and (0) (boundary condition).

MCG 4345 - Aerodynamics

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Professor S. Tavoularis

Solutions for two types of boundary conditions:

(a) B.l. on a thin flat plate: (0) = 0
s
(x) =

0.45
u6e (x)

u5e (x)dx
0

(b) Boundary layer starting at a stagnation point on the airfoil:

At a stagnation point, ue (0) = 0. Near the stagnation point (x 0), one may approximate the velocity by a Taylor series expansion, as ue (x) kx, where k = V /R0 (R0 is
the radius of curvature at the leading edge of the airfoil).

Then, the momentum thickness at the stagnation point is

Z
Z
0.45 x 5 5
0.45 x 5
2
(0) = lim 6
ue (x)dx = lim 6 6
k x dx
x0 ue (x) 0
x0 k x
0
s
(0) =

0.075
6= 0
v /R0

This proves that is not zero at the stagnation point. At other points along the airfoil,
s
(x) =

0.45
u6e (x)

u5e (x)dx
0

Therefore, given ue (x), one may easily compute (x). To find H and Cf , we use additional empirical results,as follows.

MCG 4345 - Aerodynamics

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Compute Thwaites parameter (x) =

Professor S. Tavoularis

2 (x) due
.

dx

Compute the lparameter using the Cebeci and Bradshaw empirical relationships
(
dp
0.22 + 1.57 1.82
0 < < 0.1, dx
< 0 (favourable pressure gradient)
l=
dp
0.018
0.22 + 1.402 + +0.107 0.1 < < 0, dx > 0 (adverse pressure gradient)
Compute Cf as Cf =
drag force.

l
1 ue
2

. Integrating Cf (x), one can compute the skin friction

Compute H as
(
2.61 3.75 + 5.242
H=
0.0731
2.088 + +0.14
Compute the displacement thickness as = H.

0 < < 0.1

0.1 < < 0