Calculation of three-dimensional boundary layer near the plane of symmetry of an automobile configuration

자동차 중앙대칭단면 부근의 3차원경계층 계산

The finite-difference three-dimensional boundary layer procedure of Chang and Patel is modified and applied to solve the boundary layer development on the automobile surface. The inviscid pressure distribution needed to solve the boundary layer equations is obtained by using a low order panel method. The plane of symmetry boundary layer exhibits the strong streamline divergence up to the midbody and convergence thereafter. The streamline divergence in front of the windshield helps the boundary layer to overcome the sever adverse pressure gradient and avoid the separation. The relaxation of the pressure right after the top of the wind-shield, on the other hand, makes the overly thinned boundary layer to readjust and prompts the streamlines to converge into the symmetry plane before the external streamlines do. The three-dimensional characteristics are less apparent after the midbody and the boundary layer is similar to that of the two-dimensional flow. The results of the off-plane-of-symmetry boundary layer are also presented.