Observations of the transition to turbulance in the boundary layer on a flat plate

Abstract

The aim of this work was to gain further insight into the transition from laminar to turbulent flow in the motion of a fluid past a solid surface. The present experimental work has been confined to the most simple example; the flow of an incompressible fluid along a smooth flat plate at zero angle of incidence and with zero pressure gradient in the direction of flow. Although the aspects of transition which are of greatest importance in practice are those of flow over aerofoils and in closed channels, it was hoped that an experimental investigation of transition on a flat plate would lead to a better understanding of the mechanism of fluid flow in an unstable boundary layer, which can in turn be applied to more complex problems.