Effects of external disturbances on the momentum transport in cascade transitional boundary layer flows

Abstract

The effects on the boundary layer receptivity in airfoil cascade flow caused by superposed disturbances are studied using an energetic approach. The separated terms in the Fluctuating Kinetic Energy (FKE) budget are calculated. Monotonic time-harmonic disturbances are superposed to the inflow stream using forcing frequencies close to and far from the natural frequency of fluctuation found within the unsteady (supercritical) basic flow. For supercritical regimes, the receptivity is evaluated around the boundary layer separation point, where Tollmien-Schlichting (T-S) waves are naturally generated. For subcritical regimes, the receptivity is explored all over the suction-side of the airfoil since separation does not occur. Within subcritical flows, the superposed perturbation is seen to trigger the generation of T-S-like waves downstream the minimum pressure point only when the forcing frequency is close to n. Within supercritical flows, when the forcing frequency matches n, the FKE budget reflects the energetic interaction between the perturbation and the already existent boundary layer T-S waves