The effect of a particle travelling through a laminar boundary layer on transition

Abstract

This study investigates how a particle travelling through an initially laminar boundary layer can lead to its breakdown to turbulence With increasing kerosene costs and an awareness of limited available oil reserves, laminar flow technologies are again being considered to realize the necessary efficiency increases of aircraft, and more detailed information on the operational issues is required. The adverse impact of flying through cirrus clouds has been simplified to the effect of a single particle on a laminar boundary layer over a zero-pressure gradient flat plate. First results indicate that the critical values could be substantially smaller than initially assumed.