Correlation of laminar-turbulent transition data over flat plates in supersonic/hypersonic flow including leading edge bluntness effects

The paper discusses flat plate boundary layer transition in supersonic/hypersonic flow conditions. Examination of experimental infrared thermography data illustrates the importance of the leading edge thickness and (non-) uniformity to the transition process. Such observations have triggered the collection of a wide range of experimental data on supersonic/hypersonic flat plate boundary layer transition, and a number of attempts to correlate this data with characteristic parameters including leading edge thickness. Results indicate a strong dependence of the relevant transition parameters on the pressure field in the transition region, as this is determined by the combined effects of leading edge thickness and boundary layer growth/viscous interaction, and particularly on the relative importance of the two effects. In fact, two distinct correlation zones are established, depending on whether the pressure distribution at the onset of transition is dominated by leading edge bluntness effects or by boundary layer growth and viscous interaction, thus limiting the observed data scatter to reasonable levels.