Abstract

Reliable prediction of the effect of surface irregularities on laminar-turbulent transition (LTT) is of great importance for many industrial applications. At low levels of free-stream turbulence typical of external aerodynamics, the primary mechanism of LTT is associated with the so-called convective instability of the Tollmien-Schlichting waves. In this paper, a non-empiric methodology based on Global Stability Analysis, which has been developed and validated previously to predict the evolution of these waves and the location of the LTT on a smooth flat plate, is applied to evaluation of this effect for backward- and forward- facing steps of different heights and locations. The results obtained are analyzed and compared with results of 2D time-accurate unsteady Navier-Stokes simulations, as well as with available experimental data and with the semi-empiric “variable N-factor” method.

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