Boundary Layer Characteristics

notes
 Boundary
Layer
Structure and
Thickness
on a Flat Plate

• Large Reynolds number flow fields may be divided into viscous and inviscid regions
• Consider infinitely long flat plate. Define Reynolds number.
• Fluid particles within boundary layer experience viscous effects
• Flow is rotational within boundary layer and irrotational outside
• Transition from laminar to turbulent flow occurs at Rexcr ~ 2x105 to 3x106
• Distinguishing feature of turbulent flow is the occurrence of irregular mixing of fluid
parcels. For laminar flows, mixing occurs only on the molecular scale

back notes
 Boundary Layer Thickness on a Flat Plate

• Three boundary layer thickness definitions are used in boundary

layer analysis:

– standard boundary layer thickness 

– boundary layer displacement thickness *
– boundary layer momentum thickness 

notes
Boundary Layer Thickness on a Flat Plate

  y where u 0.99U

notes
Boundary Layer Displacement Thickness

notes
 Boundary Layer Displacement Thickness

  u
   1   dy
*
0
 U

• Displacement thickness represents the amount that the thickness of the

body must be increased so that the fictitious uniform inviscid flow has the
same mass flowrate properties as the actual viscous flow

• It represents the outward displacement of the streamlines caused by the

viscous effects on the plate
Boundary Layer Momentum Thickness

notes
Boundary Layer Momentum Thickness

 u  u
   1   dy
0 U
 U

Example
 Boundary Layer Characteristics

Typical characteristics of
boundary layer thickness and
wall shear stress for laminar
and turbulent boundary layers
 Prandtl/Blasius Boundary Layer Solution

Equations governing steady, two-dimensional, laminar flows with negligible

gravitational effects are obtained from Navier-Stokes & continuity equations

 u u u u  p   2u  2u  2u 
   u  v  w     gx    2  2  2 
 t x y z  x  x y z 
 v v v v  p   2v  2v  2v 
   u  v  w    gy    2  2  2 
 t x y z  y  x y z 
 w w w w  p  2w 2w 2w 
 u v w     gz    2  2  2 
 t x y z  z  x y z 
 Prandtl/Blasius Boundary Layer Solution

Equations governing steady, two-dimensional laminar flows with negligible

gravitational effects are
u u 1 p   2u 2u 
u v    2  2 
x y  x  x y 
v v 1 p  2 v 2 v 
u  v    2  2 
x y  y  x y 
u v
 0 (conservation of mass equation,
x y for incompressible flow)

L. Prandtl simplified these equations using boundary layer concepts

H. Blasius solved these simplified equations for the boundary layer flow past a flat
plate parallel to the flow
 Prandtl/Blasius Boundary Layer Solution
Assumptions made:

1.  
v u and 
x y

2. Pressure is constant throughout the fluid

With these assumptions governing equations

u v
 0
x y
u u 1 p   2u 2u 
u v    2  2 
x y  x  x y 
v v 1 p  2 v 2 v 
u  v    2  2 
x y  y  x y 
reduce to boundary layer equations:
 Prandtl/Blasius Boundary Layer Solution
Boundary layer equations:

u v
 0
x y
u u  2u
u v  2
x y y
 Prandtl/Blasius Boundary Layer Solution
Boundary layer equations:

u v
 0
x y
u u  2u
u v  2
x y y

Boundary conditions:

u v 0 on y 0
uU as y 
 Prandtl/Blasius Boundary Layer Solution

Further assumptions:
1. In dimensionless form boundary layer velocity profiles on a flat plate should
be similar regardless on the location along the plate

u  y
g  
U  

2. Boundary layer thickness grows as the square root of x and inversely

proportional to the square root of U

x

U
 Prandtl/Blasius Boundary Layer Solution

U
By introducing dimensionless similarity variable  y
x
and the stream function   f  xU , where f  f   is unknown function,
velocity components become

vU
u Uf  v  f   f 
4x

Substituting u and v into governing equations after manipulations gives

2 f   ff  0

Boundary conditions

f  f  0 at  0
f  1 as   
Prandtl/Blasius Boundary Layer Solution

Boundary layer profiles in Similar boundary layer

dimensionless form profiles at different locations
Prandtl/Blasius Boundary Layer Solution
 Prandtl/Blasius Boundary Layer Solution

U
 y
x

From solution: u U 0.99 when  5.0 .

Thus:
x or  5
 5 
U x Re x

Laminar, flat plate boundary layer thickness grows as the square root of the
distance from the leading edge

Also
* 1.721 and  0.664
 
x Re x x Re x
Prandtl/Blasius Boundary Layer Solution

x 
 5  w 0.332 U 3
U x
 x  0.124
 5 7.48 10  3 x m  w 0.332 U 3 
U x x

at x 3 m  0.013 m
 w 0.0716 N m 2

at x 6 m  0.0183 m
 w 0.0506 N m 2
 Momentum Integral Boundary Layer Equation for
a Flat Plate

• Momentum integral method provides an approximate technique to

analyze boundary layer flow
• Consider uniform flow past a flat plate and the fixed control volume
 Momentum Integral Boundary Layer Equation for
a Flat Plate

Assumptions:
• Flow is steady within control volume
• Pressure is constant throughout the flow field
• Flow at section 1 is uniform
• Velocity at section 2 varies from zero at the plate to upstream velocity at the edge of
the boundary layer
Momentum Integral
Boundary Layer
Equation for a Flat Plate

x component of the momentum equation

notes
Momentum Integral
Boundary Layer
Equation for a Flat Plate

x component of the momentum equation

where for a flat plate of with b
F x   uV nˆ dA    uV nˆ dA
1 2 

and D is the drag that the plate exerts on the fluid


Thus D = U bh   b  u 2 dy
2
0

From continuity equation 

Ubh  b  udy
0

Then 
D  b  u U  u  dy
0
notes
Momentum Integral
Boundary Layer
Equation for a Flat Plate

Drag on a flat plate is related to momentum deficit within the boundary layer

D  b  u U  u  dy
0

Boundary layer flow on a flat plate is governed by a balance between shear drag and a
decrease in the momentum of the fluid

As x increases,  increases and the drag increases (but shear stress decreases!)

notes
Momentum Integral
Boundary Layer
Equation for a Flat Plate

Drag on a flat plate is related to momentum deficit within the boundary layer

D  b  u U  u  dy
0

Boundary layer flow on a flat plate is governed by a balance between shear drag and a
decrease in the momentum of the fluid

As x increases,  increases and the drag increases (but shear stress decreases!)

Equation above was obtained by T. von Karman in 1921

notes
Momentum Integral
Boundary Layer
Equation for a Flat Plate

Drag In term of the momentum thickness

D  bU 2 
Shear Stress In term of the momentum thickness

d
 w U 2
dx
Shear stress on a flat plate is proportional to the rate of boundary layer growth
Last equation is known as the momentum integral equation for the boundary layer flow on
a flat plate

notes
 Momentum-Integral Boundary Layer Method

Usefulness of the momentum integral equation lies in ability to obtain approximate

boundary layer results by using rather crude assumptions

Even a rather crude guess at the velocity profile will allow us to obtain reasonable drag and
shear stress results
Example
Consider the laminar flow of an incompressible fluid past a flat plate at y = 0 .
The boundary layer velocity profile is approximated as u = Uy/δ for 0  y 
and u = U for
y  as shown in the figure. Determine the shear stress by using
the momentum integral equation. Compare results with the Blasius solution

Solution notes
Example
Consider the laminar flow of an incompressible fluid past a flat plate at y = 0 .
The boundary layer velocity profile is approximated as u = Uy/δ for 0  y 
and u = U for
y  as shown in the figure. Determine the shear stress by using
the momentum integral equation. Compare results with the Blasius solution
d
From momentum integral equation  w U 2 (1)
dx
U
on the other hand  w  (2)

  u
u 
Momentum thickness    1   dy  (3)
0
 UU 6
U U 2 d 6
From (1), (2) and (3)  or  d   dx
 6 dx U
Integrating from leading edge to arbitrary x we get
2 6 x
 x or  3.46 (4)
2 U U

Combining (1), (3) and (4), wall shear stress  w 0.289U 3 2
x

Blasuis value  w 0.332U 3 2
x