The topology of the zero-level lines of the components of the acceleration vector in subsonic flows

Abstract

The steady subsonic flow past bodies of finite dimensions, when the stream is unbounded and uniform at infinity is considered. The structure formed by the stationary points (points where both components of the acceleration vector vanishes), by the zero-level of the components of the acceleration vector emerging from them and the body past which the flow occurs is studied. It is shown that each of the above-mentioned lines must reach the surface of the body past which the flow takes place. This fact, in particular, enables one to estimate the overall number of streamlines with zero curvature emerging from the stationary points in terms of the number of zeros of the curvature of the streamlines on the body around which the flow takes place, including the branch points of a dividing streamline. With a view to refining the above mentioned number of zeros, the known solution for the neighbourhoods of the branch points of a streamline is considered and the singularity of the flow in the neighbourhoods of points of discontinuity of the curvature of the wall around which the flow occurs is investigated. In order to illustrate the above, certain properties of the flow past convex bodies are refined and a fairly broad class of so-called convex-concave bodies with zero angle of tapering of the trailing edge is constructed and considered. It is shown that, for this body, there are not more than four zeros of the curvature of the streamline and, as a consequence, there are no branch points of the isobars and isoclines in the flow field, including at infinity, an infinitely distant point is the sole stationary point and, most important of all, in the case of the flow past the given bodies the values of the circulation and the lifting force cannot vanish. The mathematical apparatus employed is based on the equations of gas dynamics constructed earlier for certain combinations of the components of the acceleration vector.