M E 320 Professor John M. Cimbala Lecture 37
Today, we will:
•
Do a BL example, boundary layer on a flat plate
aligned with the flow
Review: The Boundary Layer Equations
Review: The Boundary Layer Procedure
Example: The Laminar Flat Plate Boundary Layer
We go through the steps of the boundary layer procedure:
• Step 1: The outer flow is U(x) = U = V = constant. In other words, the outer flow is
simply a uniform stream of constant velocity.
• Step 2: A very thin boundary layer is assumed (so thin that it does not affect the outer
flow). In other words, the outer flow does not even know that the boundary layer is there.
• Step 3: The boundary layer equations must be solved; they reduce to
This equation set was first solved by P. R. H. Blasius in 1908 – numerically, but by hand!
