Weakly nonlinear stages of boundary-layer transition initiated by modulated Tollmien–Schlichting waves

Abstract

AbstractWeakly nonlinear interactions involving amplitude-modulated Tollmien–Schlichting waves in an incompressible, two-dimensional aerofoil boundary layer are investigated experimentally. Selected resonant regimes are examined with emphasis on the regimes where more than one fundamental Tollmien–Schlichting (TS) wave is present in the flow. The experiments were performed on an NLF-type aerofoil section for glider applications. Disturbances with controlled frequency-spanwise-wavenumber spectra were excited in the boundary layer and studied by phase-locked hot-wire measurements. The results show that nonlinear mechanisms connected with the steepening of the primary TS wave modulation do not play any significant role in the transition scenarios studied. It is also shown that modulations of the two-dimensional fundamental waves tend to generate additional modes at modulation frequency. These low-frequency disturbances are found to be produced by a non-resonant quadratic combination of spectral components of the primary, modulated TS wave. The investigations show that the efficiency of the process is higher for three-dimensional low-frequency modes in comparison with two-dimensional modes. Thus, the emergence of three-dimensionality for the low-frequency waves does not require any resonant interactions. In a subsequent nonlinear stage, the self-generated detuned subharmonics are found to be strongly amplified due to resonant interactions with the primary TS waves. The sequence of weakly nonlinear mechanisms found and investigated here seems to be the most likely route to the laminar–turbulent transition, at least for two-dimensional boundary layers of aerofoils with a long extent of laminar flow and in a ‘natural’ disturbance environment.