Transitional Boundary Layers in Aeronautics

Paperback. The book contains the proceedings of the Colloquium Transitional Boundary Layers in Aeroautics, as organized by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences on 6-8 December 1995 in Amsterdam.In the external aerodynamics of aircraft, the thin boundary layer along the surface plays an important role. To a large extent, the boundary layer determines the drag of the aircraft. A better knowledge of the laminar-turbulent transition process within the boundary layer may provide technical possibilities for transition control. In this way transition can be postponed, leading to a reduction of the total drag and consequently of the fuel consumption. It is generally recognized that transition belongs to the most difficult problems in fuel mechanics. Fourteen invited papers give an overview of the state-of-the-art of transition phenomena in boundary layers along aircraft surfaces. The emphasis is on the scientific aspects of transition, but resea