The calculation of three-dimensional turbulent boundary layers in incompressible flow

Abstract

A method is described for calculating the development of a three-dimensional turbulent boundary layer, over a flat or developable surface, in incompressible flow. The method involves the numerical integration of the equations of motion by an explicit finite-difference method. The shear stress is determined by a parallel integration of the turbulent energy equation modified by the inclusion of empirical functions of a form which has proved successful in two dimensions, and the additional assumption is made that the turbulent shear stress acts in the direction of the rate of strain of the mean motion. The treatment of the turbulent energy equation follows closely the work of Bradshaw, Ferriss & Atwell (1967) in two dimensions.Comparison with experiment is found to be substantially more difficult than in two dimensions. Particular difficulty is encountered in translating the recorded details of the experiment into boundary conditions for the calculation. The comparisons submitted here give some indication that the method as a whole performs satisfactorily, but they do not provide a definitive assessment of the validity of the basic assumptions. A plea is made for an experiment to supply data in a suitable form for making a more careful assessment of methods of this type.