Assessment of the impact of two-dimensional wall deformations' shape on high-speed boundary layer disturbances

Abstract: Previous experimental and numerical studies showed that two-dimensional roughness elements can stabilize disturbances inside a hypersonic boundary layer, and eventually delay the transition onset. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the response of disturbances propagating inside a high-speed boundary layer to various two-dimensional surface deformations of different shapes. We perform an assessment of the impact of various two-dimensional surface non-uniformities, such as backward or forward steps, combinations of backward and forward steps, wavy surfaces, surface dips, and surface humps. Disturbances inside a Mach 5.92 flat-plate boundary layer are excited using periodic wall blowing and suction at an upstream location. The numerical tools consist of a high-accurate numerical algorithm solving for the unsteady, compressible form of the Navier-Stokes equations in curvilinear coordinates. Results show that all types of surface non-uniformities are able to reduce the amplitude of boundary layer disturbances to a certain degree. The amount of disturbance energy reduction is related to the type of pressure gradients that are posed by the deformation (adverse or favorable). A possible cause (among others) of the disturbance energy reduction inside the boundary layer is presumed to be the result of a partial deviation of the kinetic energy to the external flow, along the discontinuity that is generated by the wall deformation.