Transonic Flows with Viscous Effects

Abstract

The transonic flow regime is of critical practical interest in view of the desire to be able to design vehicles that can cruise efficiently at these speeds. Frequently, the transonic regime is also critical in regard to loading, stability and control, and flutter for vehicles that have to traverse this regime to achieve some desired higher flight speed. Viscous effects are important as these effects contribute to the vehicle drag and modify the lift. In addition, at transonic speeds, the shock wave location is both important and particularly sensitive to the boundary layer. This chapter focuses on the aspects of the transonic flow problem, which either cannot be treated or cannot be treated efficiently, by interacting a wake and boundary layer with an inviscid outer flow. The chapter highlights problems involving steady and unsteady flow separation in two and three dimensions.