62

JOURNAL

OF T H E A E R O N A U T I C A L

S C I E N C E S J A N U A R Y ,

1954

The flow problem is thus solved with respect to the parameters of state 1. However, a propeller problem is usually given in terms of the parameter of state 0 (po, VQ, VQ) and the disc loading T. Hence, one more relationship is needed in order to relate this state with the discontinuity. This is given by the momentum equation for the control surface 0-3 of Fig. 1i.e., T = m(V, Fo) (9)

FIG. 2 PROCESS

REPRESENTATION

Downloaded by TEXAS A & M UNIVERSITY on May 1, 2013 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/8.2920

ton'(YM?)

A computational solution might proceed as follows: With known p0t v0, and Mo, a value of Mi is assumed and the state properties a t 1 are calculated from the isentropic relations. The procedure described in Fig. 3 is used to obtain state 2, and the cycle is completed with an isentropic expansion back t o p% = po. The value for F 3 is thus obtained. The computation is repeated with different assumed M\ until the obtained value of Vz satisfies Eq. (9). Calculations for several cases of interest are now being carried out by J. D. Stewart and will be presented shortly as part of a University of California M.S. thesis. It is interesting to note that, although all the diagrams have been drawn for the case of a propeller advancing at subsonic speed through still air, the discontinuity analysis presented is equally valid for supersonic flow at state 1. Indeed, actual computation for a propeller advancing at supersonic speed is greatly simplified in that state 1 is the same as state 0, and states 2 and 3 can be calculated directly without the recourse to t h e iterative procedure described above. As a final remark, it should be stated that all the arguments presented here are restricted by the assumption that the flow can be treated as one-dimensional. This imposes a definite limit on the applicability of the results, since with excessive disc loadings the spread of the disturbances in a plane normal to the direction of motion and the generation of vortices cannot be neglected.
REFERENCES Krzywoblocki, M. Z., Elementary Propeller Theories in Compressible Inviscid Fluids, Applied Scientific Research, Series A, Vol. 2, No. 3, pp. 205224, 1950. 2 Vogeley, Arthur W., Axial Momentum Theory for Propeller in Compressible Flow, NACA T N No. 2164, July, 1951. 3 Kiichemann, D., and Weber, J., Aerodynamics of Propulsion, 1st Ed., pp. 25-27; McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., New York, 1953. 4 Laitone, E. V., Actuator Disc Theory for Compressible Flow and a Subsonic Correction for Propellers, Readers' Forum, Journal of the Aeronautical Sciences, Vol. 20, No. 5, p. 365, May, 1953. 5 Laitone, E. V., and Talbot, L., Subsonic Compressibility Correction for Propellers and Helicopter Rotors, Journal of the Aeronautical Sciences, Vol. 20, No. 10, pp. 683-690, October, 1953.
1

FIG. 3 GRAPHICAL SOLUTION OF ACTUATOR DISK DISCONTINUITY

7 - : (P2V2 Vi -\- Vz P1V1) = - (P2 ~ Pi)

(6)

Eq. (6) represents the locus of possible states 2 for given state 1 and may be recognized as the Rankine-Hugoniot relations for a plane shock wave. The cycle of processes can be represented therefore in a form shown in Fig. 2. I t is of interest to note that the foregoing formulation of the problem leads to a locus of states equation which is independent of the thrust and power loadings of the disc. Having obtained the locus of states equation for the disc, a specific solution yielding state 2 for a given state 1 can be obtained by a simple graphical method shown in Fig. 3. The construction follows directly from the momentum equation, Eq. (2), which, for the purpose of the nondimensional coordinates of this figure, can be written as (Pt/Pi) " (1 + r) = 1 - (v2/vi) yMi2
(7)

Calculated Amplified Oscillations in the Plane Poiseuille and Blasius Flows*

S. F. Shen
Department of Aeronautical College Park, Md. October 5, 1953 "C^OR ACTUAL CALCULATION of hydrodynamic stability problems, Engineering, University of Maryland,

where r = T/pi. Since the processes 0-1 and 2-3 are isentropic and the condition of equal pressure p% po is inherent in the definition of t h e boundaries of the flow system, the change of state 1-2 determines explicitly the overall density change p . / p . - e - K - r - D / y ] [<-*>/! where 5 is the unit entropy and R is the gas constant. (8)

there are now two somewhat different procedures, one due to Heisenberg 1 and Lin 2 and the other due to Tollmien 3 and Schlichting. 4 The main difference lies in the handling of the socalled ''inviscid solutions." In the classical case of Blasius flow; Lin's neutral curve agreed well with that of Tollmien but not with Schlichting's calculation following Tollmien's procedure. From the comparison in Schubauer and Skramstad's report, 5 it
* This work was done at the suggestion of, and under the supervision of, Prof. C. G. Lin while the author was at M.I.T. during the summer of 1953. It was supported by project N5 ori-07872.

READERS'

FORUM
PRESENT RESULT SCHLICHTING (REF.4) o A EXPERIMENT ( R E E 5 )

63

Points computed by Thomas, Ref.6 numbers being values

CJXIO3

-xio3

Downloaded by TEXAS A & M UNIVERSITY on May 1, 2013 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/8.2920

10

20

30 40 R=IO" 3

50

80

100

FIG. 1.

Amplification rates of Poiseuille flow.

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

F I G . 3.

Comparison of neutral curves (Blasius case).

0.40

0.35

0.30

0.25

0.20

0.15

0.10

_L
500
1000 F I G . 2. 1500 2000

2500

3000

R. Amplification rates of Blasius flow.

64
400

JOURNAL

OF

THE

A E R O N A U T I C A L

S C I E N C E S JANUARY,

1954

Downloaded by TEXAS A & M UNIVERSITY on May 1, 2013 | http://arc.aiaa.org | DOI: 10.2514/8.2920

of R. It is then seen that a shift in the a-direction of roughly 2 or 3 per cent is sufficient to account for the discrepancy between the values of c%. The critical Reynolds Number by Lin's procedure, however, is roughly 10 per cent too low. Generally speaking, the agreement seems to be as good as can be expected. The upper branch of Lin's neutral curve might be slightly too high (in the a-direction) and the minimum Reynolds Number a little too low. Since the method of solution is only asymptotically correct for large R and since Lin's procedure leaves out terms of higher orders in a, the accuracy naturally should be somewhat poorer in the lower R- a n d / o r higher a-regions of the (a, i?)-plane. Nevertheless, from the comparison it does lend confidence to the adequacy of the asymptotic method. For the Blasius case, we again make a comparison with Schubauer and Skramstad's experimental result. To bring out more contrast, the neutral curve is replotted in the (t3rv/Uo2, i?i)-plane, where (3rv/Uo2 is the dimensionless frequency of the disturbance and Rx is the Reynolds Number based upon the displacement thickness. Both Lin's and Schlichting's curves are included in Fig. 3, together with the experimental points. To compare the amplification, the dimensionless amplification rates at Ri = 630, 1,840, and 2,200 are plotted in Fig. 4* versus the dimensionless wave number i, again based on the displacement thickness. In both Figs. 3 and 4, the present results are in good agreement with experiment, certainly much closer than Schlichting's calculation. A detailed account of the work is now under preparation.
REFERENCES Heisenberg, W., Uber Stabilitdt und Turbulenz von Fliissigkeitsstromen, Ann. d. Phys., Vol. 74, pp. 577-627, 1924. 2 Lin, C. C , On the Stability of Two-Dimensional Parallel Flows, Quart. Appl. Math., Vol. 3, pp. 117-142, 218-234, 277-301, 1945. 3 Tollmien, W., Uber die Entstehung der Turbulenz, Ges. d. Wiss. Gottingen, Math. Phys. Klasse, Nachr., pp. 21-44, 1929. 4 Schlichting, H., Zur Entstehung der Turbulenz bei der Plattenstromung, Ges. d. Wiss. Gottingen, Math. Phys. Klasse, Nachr., pp. 181-208, 1933. 5 Schubauer, G. B., and Skramstad, H. K., Laminar-Boundary-Layer Oscillations and Transition on a Flat Plate, NACA T R No. 909, 1948. 6 Thomas, L. H., The Stability of Plane Poiseuille Flow, Phys. Rev., Vol. 86, pp. 812-813, 1952. 7 Liepmann, H. W., Investigation of Boundary Layer Transition on Con~ cave Walls, NACA ACR No. 4J28, 1945. 8 Lees, L., Instability of Laminar Flows and Transition to Turbulence, Consolidated Vultee Report ZA-7-006, February 25, 1952. * It might be pointed out that, in reducing their observed data, Schubauer and Skramstad used the wave velocity as the downstream propagation velocity of the disturbance instead of the more logical "group velocity." The correction is to add approximately 10 to 20 per cent on the experimental amplifications of Fig. 4, thereby bringing a closer check with our computation at the two higher Reynolds Numbers. However, the computed curves are obtained by interpolation, which might easily err by as much as 20 per cent except in the immediate neighborhood of the neutral curve. Hence, we do not put too much emphasis on this correction.
1

F I G . 4.

Comparison of amplification rates (Blasius case).

appears that the experimental points are somewhat closer to Lin's neutral curve than to Schlichting's. Furthermore, in other details, such as the amplification rate, Schlichting's theoretical result could only be qualitatively verified by the experiment. But because of the approximate nature of the theory and the difficulty of reproducing the theoretical model in actual experiment, one is in no position to draw hasty conclusions on only a single evidence. Recently, Thomas 6 computed, with the help of the high speed I B M machine, several eigen-values of the Sommerfeld-Orr equation for the case of plane Poiseuille flow, using finite differences without resorting to other approximations. Thus we now have also a limited number of "exact" results to check against the asymptotic methods. Thomas' values are all complex; it is therefore desirable to compute points off the neutral curve for direct comparison. The points that lie in the unstable region of the (a, i)-plane give, meanwhile, a measure of the amplification of the corresponding disturbance. Aside from possible verification by available experimental data, the amplification rates also might serve as a basis for the development of some criteria to explain the laminar-turbulent transition, such as the different suggestions of Schlichting, 4 Liepmann, 7 and Lees. 8 We have completed calculations of the amplified oscillations for both the plane Poiseuille and Blasius flows by perturbing the neutral curve obtained from Lin's procedure. The perturbation scheme is the same one previously used by Schlichting in a similar calculation. 4 The rates of change of the complex wave velocity (c = cr + ici) in both and a- (wave number) and R- (Reynolds Number) directions at the neutral curve are determined. At constant R, a cubic in a is then fitted as an approximation for the intermediate points in the unstable region. Contours of constant Ci (representing the amplification rate) are interpolated. Needless to say, the neutral curve corresponds to a = 0. The results are presented as Figs. 1 and 2. For the Poiseuille case, comparison with Thomas' results are made. Remembering the highly compressed scale in the indirection (Fig. 1), we note that, except near the critical Reynolds Number, the error probably should be estimated at the same value

Comments on Location of Detached Shocks and Truitt's Dilemma

E. V . Laitone Associate Professor, University of California at Berkeley

October 5, 1953

T N REFERENCES 1 AND 2, Truitt mistakenly believes he has derived a new relation for predicting the effect of nose angle on the location of a detached shock wave ahead of a plane wedge. Furthermore, in reference 1, Truitt claims Moeckel's 3 result is wrong by stating: " . . . other (i.e., Moeckel's 3 ) simple expressions have been derived for shock detachment distance which predict no direct effect due to nose shape or varying nose angle.