Investigation of Two-Dimensional Unsteady Stagnation-Point Flow and Heat Transfer Impinging on an Accelerated Flat Plate

Abstract

General formulation and solution of Navier–Stokes and energy equations are sought in the study of two-dimensional unsteady stagnation-point flow and heat transfer impinging on a flat plate when the plate is moving with variable velocity and acceleration toward main stream or away from it. As an application, among others, this accelerated plate can be assumed as a solidification front which is being formed with variable velocity. An external fluid, along z-direction, with strain rate a impinges on this flat plate and produces an unsteady two-dimensional flow in which the plate moves along z-direction with variable velocity and acceleration in general. A reduction of Navier–Stokes and energy equations is obtained by use of appropriate similarity transformations. Velocity and pressure profiles, boundary layer thickness, and surface stress-tensors along with temperature profiles are presented for different examples of impinging fluid strain rate, selected values of plate velocity, and Prandtl number parameter.