Boundary Layers

The subject of boundary layers, a key topic of fluid mechanics, has featured for many years in university courses in aeronautical, mechanical and civil engineering. Drag and loading predictions for example and the consequent scope for drag reduction have important implications for aeronautical design and fuel reduction. However, there are surprisingly few text books devoted to boundary layers and little available to students on the important recent developments which have occurred as a result of the use of increasingly poweful computers. This new book provides a succinct introduction to the subject. No prior knowledge of the subject has been assumed. The subject has a strong theoretical basis but the physical principles which illuminate it are stressed throughout. The characteristics of laminar and turbulent boundary layers in compressible flow, including heat transfer, as well as in incompressible flow, are treated in some detail, as is the phenomenon of transition. Some basic features of three dimensional boundary layers are discussed. The book covers not only traditional material but more recent developments, and it highlights future promising growth areas.