Inviscid instability of streamwise corner flow

Abstract

Linear stability of the incompressible flow along a streamwise corner is studied by solving the two-dimensional eigenvalue problem governed by partial differential equations. It is found that this fully three-dimensional flow is subject to inviscid instability due to the inflectional nature of the streamwise velocity profile. The higher growth rates for the inviscid instability mode, which is symmetric about the corner bisector, as compared to the viscous Tollmien-Schlichting instability operative away from the corner, is consistent with the experimental findings that the corner flow transitions to turbulence earlier than the two-dimensional Blasius flow away from the corner.