Boundary Layer Analyses

AE 3903/4903 Airfoil Design

L. Sankar
School of Aerospace Engineering
Outline
Thwaites Method for Computing Laminar
Boundary Layers
Michels Transition Criterion
Heads method for Turbulent Flow
Squire-Young Formula for Drag Prediction
See http://www.ae.gatech.edu/~lsankar/AE2020 for
background material.
Thwaites method I
This is an empirical method based on the observation
that most laminar boundary layers obey the following
relationship.
Ref: Thawites, B., Incompressible Aerodynamics,
Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1960:

u
e
v
d
dx
u
2
( )
= A B
u
2
v
du
e
dx

Thwaites recommends A = 0.45 and
B = 6 as the best empirical fit.
Thwaites Method II
The above equation may be analytically integrated
yielding

dx u
u x u
x u
x dx u
u
x
x
e
e e
e
x
x
e
e
} }
= =
=
(

=
= + =
0
5
6 6
6
2
0
5
6
2
45 . 0
) (
) 0 (
) 0 (
45 . 0 v
u
v
u
For blunt bodies such as airfoils, the edge velocity u
e

is zero at x=0, the stagnation point. For sharp nosed
geometries such as a flat plate, the momentum thickness u
is zero at the leading edge. Thus, the term in the square
bracket always vanishes.
The integral may be evaluated, at least numerically,
when u
e
is known.
Thwaites method III
After u is found, the following relations are used to compute
the shape factor H.

For 0 s s 0.1
H = 2. 61 3. 75 + 5.24
2
For 0.1s s 0
H = 2. 472 +
0.0147
0.107+
where,
=
u
2
v
du
e
dx
Thwaites method IV
( )
2
62 . 0
2
1
09 . 0
e
w
f
e
w
u
C
u

t
=
+ =
After u is found, we can also find skin friction coefficient
from the following empirical curve fits:

MATLAB Code from PABLO
%--------Laminar boundary layer

lsep = 0; trans=0; endofsurf=0;
theta(1) = sqrt(0.075/(Re*dueds(1)));
i = 1;
while lsep ==0 & trans ==0 & endofsurf ==0
lambda = theta(i).^2*dueds(i)*Re;
% test for laminar separation
if lambda < -0.09
lsep = 1; itrans = i;
break;
end;
H(i) = fH(lambda); L = fL(lambda); cf(i) = 2*L./(Re*theta(i));
if i>1, cf(i) = cf(i)./ue(i); end;
i = i+1;
% test for end of surface
if i> n endofsurf = 1; itrans = n; break; end;
K = 0.45/Re; xm = (s(i)+s(i-1))/2; dx = (s(i)-s(i-1)); coeff = sqrt(3/5);
f1 = ppval(spues,xm-coeff*dx/2); f1 = f1^5; f2 = ppval(spues,xm); f2 = f2^5;
f3 = ppval(spues,xm+coeff*dx/2); f3 = f3^5; dth2ue6 = K*dx/18*(5*f1+8*f2+5*f3);
theta(i) = sqrt((theta(i-1).^2*ue(i-1).^6 + dth2ue6)./ue(i).^6);
% test for transition
rex = Re*s(i)*ue(i); ret = Re*theta(i)*ue(i); retmax = 1.174*(rex^0.46+22400*rex^(-0.54));
if ret>retmax
trans = 1; itrans = i;
end;
end;
Reationship between and H
function H = fH(lambda);

if lambda < 0

if lambda==-0.14
lambda=-0.139;
end;

H = 2.088 + 0.0731./(lambda+0.14);

elseif lambda >= 0

H = 2.61 - 3.75*lambda + 5.24*lambda.^2;

end;
Skin Friction
function L = fL(lambda);

if lambda < 0

if lambda==-0.107
lambda=-0.106;
end;

L = 0.22 + 1.402*lambda +(0.018*lambda)./(lambda+0.107);

elseif lambda >= 0

L = 0.22 + 1.57*lambda - 1.8*lambda.^2;

end;
H(i) = fH(lambda); L = fL(lambda); cf(i) = 2*L./(Re*theta(i));
We invoke (or call this function) at each i-location as follows:
Transition prediction
A number of methods are available for
predicting transition.
Examples:
Epplers method
Michels method
Wind turbine designers and laminar airfoil
designers tend to use Epplers method
Aircraft designers tend to use Michels
method.
Michels Method for
Transition Prediction
% test for transition
rex = Re*s(i)*ue(i); ret = Re*theta(i)*ue(i);
retmax = 1.174*(rex^0.46+22400*rex^(-0.54));
if ret>retmax
trans = 1; itrans = i;
end;
| |
54 . 0 46 . 0
Re 22400 Re 174 . 1 Re
when occurs Transition
Re
Re

+ >
=
=
x x
e
e
x
u
x u
u
u
v
u
v
Turbulent Flow
A number of CFD methods, and integral
boundary layer methods exist.
The most popular of these is Heads
method.
This method is used in a number of
computer codes, including PABLO.

Heads Method
( )
d
dx U
H
dU
dx
c
f
u u
+ + = 2
2
Von Karman Momentum Integral Equation:
A new shape parameter H
1
:
u
o o
*
1

H
Evolution of H
1
along the boundary layer:
( ) ( )
1
0 0306 3
1 1
0 6169
U
d
dx
U H H u =

.
.
These two ODEs are solved by marching from transition location to trailing edge.
Empirical Closure Relations
( )
( )
064 . 3
1
287 . 1
1
6778 . 0 5501 . 1 3 . 3
1 . 1 8234 . 0 3 . 3
1.6 H If

+ =
+ =
s
H H
else
H H
( )
268 . 0
678 . 0
Re 10 246 . 0

=
u
H
f
C
Ludwig-Tillman relationship:
Turbulent separation occurs when H1 = 3.3
Coding Closure Relations in
Heads Method
function y=H1ofH(H);

if H <1.1
y = 16;
else
if H <= 1.6
y = 3.3 + 0.8234*(H-1.1).^(-1.287);
else
y = 3.3 + 1.5501*(H-0.6778).^(-3.064);
end;
end;
function H=HofH1(H1);

if H1 <= 3.32
H = 3;
elseif H1 < 5.3
H = 0.6778 + 1.1536*(H1-
3.3).^(-0.326);
else
H = 1.1 + 0.86*(H1-3.3).^(-
0.777);
end
function cf = cfturb(rtheta,H);

cf = 0.246*(10.^(-0.678*H))*rtheta.^(-0.268);
Drag Prediction
Squire-Young Formula
2
5
,
,
, ,
,
2
+

|
|
.
|

\
|
=
+ =
upper ge TrailingEd
H
ge TrailingEd E ge TrailingEd
upper d
lower d upper d d
V
U
c
C
C C C
u